Liquid bi-propellant engines are the most efficient and popular choice for propulsion. The complexity in manufacturing and integration however is extremely high. New innovative manufacturing processes have been developed that haven't been adopted by space propulsion yet such as the Selective Laser Melting (SLM). Our project's aim is to utilize this advanced manufacturing process for the manufacturing of a liquid bi-propellant engine. Manufacturing the engine with an additive manufacturing approach can eliminate the complexity of the engine significantly.
Specifically, three major components can be engraved within the structure of the engine. Injector, feed system and cooling system. The injector is the part that injects fuel and oxidizer into the combustion chamber. With SLM, the injector can be integrated with the nozzle and combustion chamber as a separate header at the top of the combustion chamber. The injector is part that requires a high degree of precision. Unlike traditional manufacturing processes, precision can be offered by the SLM with no added time or cost. The feed system consist of the wires and valves that feed the fuel and oxidizer to the injector at the correct pressure. With SLM, a one line feed system can be provided at the top of the engine, minimizing the clutter. The cooling system is responsible for cooling the nozzle's and combustion chamber's temperature to keep them at a temperature that can maintain combustion for prolonged periods of time. Cooling system however is a very complex system that adds to the overall clutter of the system. With SLM, the cooling system can also be integrated to the same part as the nozzle, combustion chamber, injector and feed system.
In other words, a good design would transform the manufacturing and integration of a liquid bipropellant engine to single print and a few wire connections.
Lastly, the trajectory of space satellites is marching towards miniaturization. Cubesats and space components are getting smaller and thus require smaller engines. SLM is a process that would be very beneficial to the future of space engineering. Our team is paving the road for further development on this sector.