Traditional FuelThere are two basic types of traditional chemical fuel that are used in most rocket launches. These are solid and liquid fuel. There are many different substances within these two categories. Solid fuel rockets date back to 13th century for warfare in parts of Asia. The design has been further developed and is now used in modern rockets. It works by burning a hollow tube solid propellant from the inside out. This provides the rocket with continuous thrust. Liquid propellant was developed in the early 20th century by Robert H. Goddard. Liquid fuel is now used in many rocket launches today. It works by taking fuel out of a large tank and igniting it in a combustion chamber near the nozzle.
|
Inert FuelInert Fuel is different from solid and liquid fuel because it is usually a gas. This type of inert fuel is not used as a rocket propellant. It is often used to keep things from blowing up since it is very chemically stable. It is sometimes made of noble gases but is often a gas compound. Purified Argon gases are often used because of their high natural abundance and relatively low cost. The type of inert fuel that we would use to propel our rocket would be liquid hydrogen. Liquid hydrogen is a great rocket propellant because it is light weight and burns intensely. In traditional liquid hydrogen rocket, the hydrogen must be isolated from all heat or it would evaporate. Heating liquid hydrogen causes it to expand rapidly. While for most rockets this is a bad thing, this is the whole idea of our design. The hydrogen would be heated up, causing it to expand, and generate thrust.
|