Le moteur au mélange acetylene et ammoniaque ("atsetam")

MOSCOW, May 5 (RIA Novosti)

Power engineering manufacturer Energomash has started development of a new rocket engine which could vastly reduce the cost of rocket launches and avoid the need to produce hydrogen for fuel, the makers say.

The new rocket, which will be around 30 percent more efficient than exising designs, works on a completely novel fuel mixture of acetylene and ammonia (atsetam).

“A mixture of acetylene and ammonia is 20 times cheaper than hydrogen as a kilogram of hydrogen costs about 2 thousand rubles ($67) and a kilo of atsetam is maximum of 100 rubles ($3.35)," Energomash's Director of Innovative Technology Anatoly Likhvantsev told Izvestiya newspaper.

"Using five to seven tons of this mixture, we can save a considerable amount of money. In addition, the components that are included in atsetam can be easily stored and transported, whereas hydrogen requires special storage and transportation conditions," he added.

The new atsetam engine will be assembled on the basis of the RD-161 oxygen and kerosene engine. The exact parameters will be determined during tests which will begin this year and will last for about three years.

The developers plan to launch rockets with the new engine in 2017-2018, dependent on funding.

Once the optimal ratio of acetylene and ammonia is found (in which fuel will be sufficiently powerful without exploding too easily) the designers will specify the parameters of the engine.

According to preliminary calculations, the atsetam engine will not require major structural changes to existing rocket motors since the physical properties of atsetam do not differ much from kerosene. An upper stage with the new engine will be installed on existing rocket carriers, which will be more profitable than developing an entirely new rocket with it.

patchfree a écrit:Consacrons un fil spécifique au développement du moteur à "atsetam". Le moteur est promis à un bel avenir puisqu'il peut remplacer avantageusement l'hydrogène et le kérosène en particulier en terme de prix et de stockage. De plus il peut facilement s'installer à la place d'un moteur classique sans modifier profondément un lanceur déjà fonctionnel.

MOSCOW, May 5 (RIA Novosti)

Power engineering manufacturer Energomash has started development of a new rocket engine which could vastly reduce the cost of rocket launches and avoid the need to produce hydrogen for fuel, the makers say.

The new rocket, which will be around 30 percent more efficient than exising designs, works on a completely novel fuel mixture of acetylene and ammonia (atsetam).

“A mixture of acetylene and ammonia is 20 times cheaper than hydrogen as a kilogram of hydrogen costs about 2 thousand rubles ($67) and a kilo of atsetam is maximum of 100 rubles ($3.35)," Energomash's Director of Innovative Technology Anatoly Likhvantsev told Izvestiya newspaper.

"Using five to seven tons of this mixture, we can save a considerable amount of money. In addition, the components that are included in atsetam can be easily stored and transported, whereas hydrogen requires special storage and transportation conditions," he added.

The new atsetam engine will be assembled on the basis of the RD-161 oxygen and kerosene engine. The exact parameters will be determined during tests which will begin this year and will last for about three years.

The developers plan to launch rockets with the new engine in 2017-2018, dependent on funding.

Once the optimal ratio of acetylene and ammonia is found (in which fuel will be sufficiently powerful without exploding too easily) the designers will specify the parameters of the engine.

According to preliminary calculations, the atsetam engine will not require major structural changes to existing rocket motors since the physical properties of atsetam do not differ much from kerosene. An upper stage with the new engine will be installed on existing rocket carriers, which will be more profitable than developing an entirely new rocket with it.

L'acétylène est extrêmement inflammable à température et pression standards. Il est endoénergétique par rapport au carbone et à l'hydrogène, et peut se décomposer spontanément, de façon explosive lorsque la pression est supérieure à 100 kPa, et jusqu'à quelques bars où cette décomposition spontanée se produit immanquablement[réf. souhaitée]. C'est pour cette raison qu’il est stocké dissous dans l’acétone ou le diméthylformamide (DMF), eux-mêmes inclus dans une matière poreuse stabilisatrice.

Giwa a écrit:
" The exact parameters will be determined during tests which will begin this year and will last for about three years. "
Donc disons que l'on a peut-être une idée où se situe cette proportion optimale, mais que cela reste à affiner par ces tests dans les trois années qui viennent .

Exocet a écrit:L'argument économique ne tient pas vraiment la route, la production de carburant restera toujours négligeable dans le coût d'un lanceur non réutilisable.

patchfree a écrit:
Par ailleurs je pense que l'économie visée par les russes est, pour l'instant, un moteur atsetam non pour le premier étage mais pour le second, et l'économie là se mesure par rapport à un moteur hydrogène/oxygène. La complexité de la "manutention" de LH2 étant pour beaucoup dans le coût de ces étages.

He obtained the first experimental batch of the latest fuel



29/11/2012 ::

NGO experts "Energomash" and RSC "Applied Chemistry" on a specially
designed experimental setup was first obtained the first experimental
batch of the latest high-performance fuel acetyl.

The results confirmed the previously conducted theoretical studies, and
showed the effectiveness of the technology for production of the new
fuel.

Work is carried out within the framework of processing and subsequent
certification Atsetama as rocket fuel prospective application on its own
initiative in its own expense Energomash and through grant support
innovation center "Skolkovo".

In the following stages of work in accordance with industry
certification scheme rocket fuels will conduct a series of studies of
physical and chemical properties Atsetama, stability analysis of
structural materials, to determine the parameters of fire and explosion
prevention and other activities.
In 2013-2014 gg
planned development of the technology of obtaining Atsetama industrial
lots, and the development of the stand and conduct fire tests of
experimental oxygen-atsetamovogo LRE.
Roscosmos press service and the NGO "Energomash"

works on a completely novel fuel mixture of acetylene and ammonia (atsetam).

will conduct a series of studies of physical and chemical properties Atsetama, stability analysis of structural materials, to determine the parameters of fire and explosion prevention and other activities.

ManouchKa a écrit:Sachant que les moteurs russe actuel ont un isp jusqu'a 311s/SL; celà donne un isp de 373s à 404s, ca dépaase le couple H/O (365s max) :shock:

Griffon a écrit:

ManouchKa a écrit:Sachant que les moteurs russe actuel ont un isp jusqu'a 311s/SL; celà donne un isp de 373s à 404s, ca dépaase le couple H/O (365s max) :shock:

C'est plutôt 460 pour le couple hydrogène/oxygène.
Par contre le carburant évoqué dispose d'une bonne densité qui lui donne un avantage pour des utilisations de premier étage et de propulseur d'appoint (en terminologie occidentale), il faudrait que je retrouve les articles techniques qui donnaient ces chiffres ...