Launch Information Saturn S-IV and the RL-10 Engine

8/4/2019 Launch Information Saturn S-IV and the RL-10 Engine

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FloridaResearchand DevelopmentCenterWest Palm Beach, FloridaVIctor 4-7311 . Ext . 455

SATURNHISTORY DOCUMENTu n i v e r 5 i ~ Aiabama Research InskitutaHistory oi Science & Technology GOUPD~~~ --- ---- - ..Doc. NO.------*-

LAUNCH IN FOR MA TI^^

Sa t u rn S-IVand

The RLlO Engine

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Table of ContentsI. RLlO Mi les tones and RLlO St a t i s t i c s . . . .

The RLlO Liquid Hydrogen Rocket Engine. . .The Development of Liquid Hydrogen . . . . . . . .The F l o r i da R e s e a r c h and Development Center . . .The P r a t t & Whitney A i r c r a f t Divis ion. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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IV.V.

For Addi t ional Informat ion:Publ i c Rela t ions Depar tment , P r a t t & Whitney A i r c r a f t F l o r i d a

R e s e a r c h and Development C en t e r , P o s t Office Box 2691, Wes t P a l mBeach , F l o r i d a 33402

Telephone: A re a Code 305, 844-731 1, Extension 455, Wes t Pa lmBeach , F lor ida .


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I

I . R L 10 MILESTONESOctober 1958 . .Ju ly 1959November 1961 .March 1962June 1962

August 1962September 1962

May 1963June 1963 .October 1963 .

November 1963J a n u a r y 1964 .RLlO STATISTICSR a t ed T h r u s t .HeightWidthWeightF u e l .Oxidizer .Speci f ic Impul se .C ham ber P r e s s u r eType Cooling .T ota l F i r i n g T i m e .T o t a l F i r i n g s . - .

. Design BeginsF i r s t E ng in e F i r e dR L 1OA- 1 Engine Pa ss es Pr e l i mi na ry F l igh tRat ing Tes tF i r s t C en t au r T es t V ehi cl e S t a ti c F i r edA dvancedE ng ine (R L lO A -3) Pa s s e s P r e -l iminary F l igh t Rating Te s tF i r s t Six-Engine Sa turn S- IV S ta t i c F i r edFul l -Sc ale Engine Thro t t leabi l i ty ( to 10%)Demonst ra t edHyper golic Ignition Demonst ra t edIns tan t S t a r t Feas i b i l i ty D em ons t r a t edLow Id le Opera t ion (p res su r i z ed mode) fo rSe t t li ng Prope l l an t Demonst ra t edR L l O ' s Pow er F i r s t C ent aur V ehi cl e in O rb i

. RLlO 's Power F i r s t Sa turn S-IV Vehic le in O

. 15, 000 Pou nds69 Inches. 40 Inches. 292 PoundsLiquid Hydrogen

. Liquid Oxygen431 Seconds300 psi aRegenera t ive170 Hou rs through November 1963

4, 500 through November 1963( m o r e ) s


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Page 2he RLlO LIQUID HYDROGEN ROC KET ENGINEThe RL10, which powers the National Aero nauti cs and Space Adminis -

t ra t ion ' s Saturn S-IV, i s the newe st propulsion s ys tem to be put to work in

advancin g our nat ion's spac e effo rtr On November 27, 1963, a pa ir of RL lO 'ssucc essf ul ly powered a f ive-ton Centaur space vehicle in ea rth or bi t in thef i r s t fl ight demonst rat ion of th e outer space powerplant which u s e s high-ene rgy liquid hydrogen a s fuel. A six-engine c l u s t e r of RLlO' s , generat inga to ta l of 90, 000 pounds of thrus t , powers th e Saturn S-IV stage. The 15, 000-pound- thrus t engine w a s designed and developed for NASA's M ar sha l l SpaceFl igh t Center a t P r a t t & Whitney A i r c r a f t ' s F l o r i da R e s e a r c h and DevelopmentC en t e r , 20 m i l e s nor thwes t of W e s t P a l m Beach.

L e s s than seven months af t e r the s t a r t ing date of the cont rac t in m i d -October 1958, the f i r s t RLlO t h rus t cham ber w a s tested. The official P r e -l i m i na ry Fl igh t Rating T e s t w as completed successful ly in the r e c o r d t ime ofthr ee y ea rs af t er beginning ini t ia l engine design. In the development progr am ,the RLlO has completed m or e than 4, 500 f i r ing s fo r an accumulated f i r ing*t im e of m o re than 170 hours . Many endurance tes ts have been conducted wi ththe engine, with one fir ing last ing 28 minutes , approximate ly four t i me s themiss ion requ i reme nt s fo r eng ine burn in the Sa turn S-IV program.

While the RLlO r e s e m b l e s other rocke t engines outwardly, in t e rna l lyit contains m any advances in s t a t e -of - the-ar t design, among them the methodby which i t obtains mult iple uti l izat ion f r o m i t s fuel. The liquid hydrogen a t-423O F plays two r o l e s before i t i s burned. In i t s f i r s t ro l e , the hydrogens e r v e s a s a coolant by pass ing through the s e r i e s of tubes which f o r m thet h r u s t cham ber . In i t s second ro le , the hydrogen, which h a s picked up hea tene rgy a s a r e s u l t of i t s cooling the cham ber , i s expanded through a turbine

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The RLlO Liauid Hvdrogen Rocket Engine Pa ge 3

to provide power to pump both prope l lan t s into the s ys t e m .The engine w a s des igned to provide a capabili ty of mult iple r e s t a r t s in

s pa c e , with long coas t ing pe r iods between f ir ings . The pr ob l e m s of m a in -ta ining a conventional lubr ica t ion s y s t e m under conditions of coas t ing made i tde s i r a b l e to e l imina te o i l lubr ica t ion in the gearbox. The gears and b e a r i n g sin the RLlO turbopump w e r e developed to ope r a t e d r y and to be cooled withhydrogen gas .

The RLlO h a s a nozzle expansion r a t i o of 40 to 1 and ope r a t e s a t anomina l c ha m be r p r e s s u r e of 300 pounds pe r s qua r e inch.

111. THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIQUID HYDROGENThe success fu l development of P r a t t & Whitney A i r c r a f t ' s RLlO r oc ke t

engine wa s based upon the ma st er y of a powerful fue l - - hydrogen. At theadvent of the sp ace age , hydrogen he ld out the pro spec t of g rea t ly - inc rease dt h r u s t p e r pound ove r hydroca rbon fue ls such a s ke rosene . When burned withl iquid oxygen (LOX), liquid hydrogen de l ive rs 35 p e r c e n t m o r e t h r u s t p e rpound of prope l lan t than conventional fue ls . Eng ine e r s knew that i f hydrogencould be leashed a s a fue l for rocke t engines i t would make poss ib le subs tan t ia lpayload inc reases .

An en t i re new technology had to be es tabl ishe d before hydrogen couldbecome a pr ac t ic a l fuel . Techniques for handl ing hydrogen a s a fue l we reunknown. Because of its low boiling point (-423O F), t i s di f f icul t to keep inl iqu id form . I t wi l l vapor ize immedia te ly i f exposed to heat. Liquid hydrogeni s co lo r le s s , odo r le s s , and of ve r y l igh t we ight.

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The Developmen t of Liau id Hvdrog en P a g e 4

P r a t t & Whitney Ai rc ra f t ' s exper ience ha s proved that l iquid hydrogencan be t ran spor ted and s to red p rac t icab ly and that , in many ways i f handledproper ly , the f ros t y l iqu id i s sa fe r than gaso l ine . Liquid hydrogen is chemi-ca l ly ine r t in the p re senc e of all c o m m o n m a te r i a l s a r o u n d a t e s t s ta n d,including a ir , oil , and oxygen. I t is non-toxic, non- i r r i ta t ing, and non-c o r r o s iv e . I t does not de te r io ra t e o r decompose f r om long- t ime s to rage .Today, i t i s poss ib le to keep l iqu id hydrogen jus t a s " ready" a s l iqu id oxygen.The fuel is s to red in dewar t anks , which a r e double-wal led con ta iners wi th avacuum between the wal ls , s imi l ia r to a the rm os bo tt le . Por tab le dewartank s follow the s am e pat ter n of constru ction.

La rg e -sc ale tes t ing of l iquid hydrogen fuel became possible in 1958,with the opening of the P r a t t & Whitney Ai rc ra f t F lo r ida Re sea rch andDevelopment Center in We st P a lm Beach, Flor ida . Adjacent to the plant , theAir F o rc e bui l t the f i r s t tonnage product ion faci l i ty for l iquid hydrogen. Thefac i l i ty t akes na tu ra l gas , bre aks i t down into hydrogen gas , carb on dioxide ,and o ther p roduc ts , then re f r ig e ra tes and pur if i e s the hydrogen . The purityof the l iquid hydroge n produced t he re i s about 99. 9999 per cent , among thepu re s t ma te r ia l s p roduced in quan t ity by man .

By la te 1963 , P ra t t & Whitney Ai r c ra f t a t i t s F lo r ida Cen te r had hand ledn e a r l y 4 0 mill ion gallons of l iquid hydrogen in the developm ent pr og ra m fori t s hydrogen fueled rocke t engines.

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The Flo rid a Res ea rc h and Development Center Page 5

IV. TH E FLORIDA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERUnited A i r c r a f t Corporat ion ' s P r a t t & Whitney A i r c r a f t Division

estab l i shed the F lo r ida Research and Development Center in 1956, p r i m ar i l yto t e s t highly advanced jet engines. . Work w as s ta r t ed that year and th emain buildings w e r e completed in 1958. Soon af terward , the R es ea r ch Centerw as expanded to include rocke t engine r e s ea r ch . The Research Center i slocated on an isolated 6, 750-acre t ~ a c t n th e edge of F lo r ida ' s Everg ladesin P a lm Beach County. .

The Rese arc h C ente r ' s rocket tes t are a includes horizontal andve rt ic al engine f i r ing stands and complete component te st faci l i t ies. Allengine f i r in g stan ds a r e equipped to simulate conditions the engines wil lencounter in space. The two. horizonta l stand complexe s include single-enginest ru ct ur es that a r e adaptable to engines developing up to 250, 000 pounds ofthrus t . The ver t ica l te s t s tand complexes a r e des igned to accommodate rocketprop ulsio n sy st em s developing up to 500, 000 pounds of thr ust . One vert icalte st s tand is used to check out dual-engine vehicle propulsion syst em s.

A multi-million-dollar addition to the Research C en t e r ' s rocke t enginet e s t complex wi l l soon be in operation. The addition wil l give P r a t t & WhitneyA i r c r a f t the nat ion 's m o s t advanced liquid rocket propel lant r e s e a r c h capability.With the new facility, the R es ea r ch Center wi l l be able to handle safely a l lknown com bina tions of liquid propell ants , including high -ene r gy types sucha s fluorine, hydrazine , diborane, and hydrogen.

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Looking to the fu ture , the R es ea r ch Center h as an extensive depar tmen tof applied r e s ea r ch . A r e a s of study for this depar tment include miss ion

ana lys i s , engine and controls analys is , sy s t ems engineering, combustion,( m o r e )


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T he F l o r i d a R e s e a r c h a nd D e v e l o ~ m e n tCen te r Pa g e 6

hea t t r ans fe r , tu rbomach ine ry , and f lu id f low.O v e r t h e p a s t f o ur y e a r s , P r a t t & Whitney Ai rcr af t has conducted a

comprehensive s tudy to def ine the propuls ion requirements for the nextgene ra t ion of launch veh ic le s - A m a j o r development in th is study w a s achieveda t the R e s e a r c h Cen te r recen t ly with the s u c c e s s f u l t e s t f i r ing of a cooledh ig h - p r e s s u r e hydrogen r o c k e t chamber . About the s i z e of a m i lk bot t le ,the c h a m b e r o p e r a t e d a t about 3 ,000 ps la and genera ted 1 1 , 0 0 0 pounds oft h r u s t du r ing the f i r ing .

P r a t t & Whitney A i r c r a f t ' s F l o r i d a R e s e a r c h and Development Cen te remploys 5, 300 and h a s a n annual payro l l of about $43 million. In 1962, thecompany spen t mo re than $18 mi l l ion in pu rchas ing f ro m o r subcon t rac t ingwith 679 Flor ida b us i nes ses of which 539 we re c lass i f ied by Governme nts t a n d a r d s a s s m a l l F l o r i d a b u s i n es s e s.

THE PRAT T & WHITNEY AIRCRAFT DIVISIONThe Flo r i da Re sea r ch and Deve lopmen t Cen te r i s ope ra ted by P ra t t &

Whitney Ai rcr af t , the maj or d iv is ion of United Ai rcr af t C orpora t ion . P r a t t &Whitney Ai rc r a f t was o rgan ized in Connecticut in 1925 to desi gn and builda i rc ra f t eng ines . I t s f i r s t engine, r evo lu t iona ry fo r i t s t ime , wa s the rad ia l ,a i r -c oole d wasp . I t wa s fo l lowed by the Hornet , the Twin Wasp, and theDouble Wasp. These famous eng ines u l t ima te ly p rov ided hal f the a i rc ra f tpower use d by the Al l ied a i r f o r ce s du r ing Wor ld War P I . With the advent ofthe je t age , the s k i l ls and technology developed by Pr a t t & Whitney Ai rc ra f tdur ing the p is ton-engine e r a he lped the d iv is ion to move to the foref ront in

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man ufac ture of je t engines . P ra t t & Whitney Air cr af t engines today power( m o r e )


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T h e P r a t t & Whitney Air cr af t Division Page 7

many of the nat ion ' s m ost advanced mi l i tary and comme rcia l a i rc ra f t . Inaddi tion to the work being ca rr ie d out a t i t s F lor ida Re sea rch and DevelopmentC en t e r , P r a t t & Whitney Airc raf t is developing other space -age power sy ste ms .Among them a r e fuel ce l l s - - devices which conve rt chemical en ergy direct l yto e lect r ic i ty - - for space and indu str ia l use. The Apollo command vehicle,which wi l l c a r r y man to the #moon, wil l r ece ive i t s on-board power and drinkingw a t e r f r o m a P r a t t & Wbitney A i r c r a f t fuel cell . The division h a s a l s o beense lec ted to develop the fuel ce l l syskern for the lunar excurs ion module. Atthe Connecticut Advanced Nuclear Engineering Laboratory in Middletown,P r a t t & Whitney A i r c r a f t i s developing SNAP 5O/SPUR, a light-weight nuclearr e a c t o r which wi l l be used to supply e lec t r i ca l power for deep space explorat ion

Modified a i r c r a f t jet engines manufactured by the division a r e beingu s ed in ground instal lat ions to generate elect r ic i ty and opera te c o m p r e s s o r s

which pump gas through long pipe l ines. Other units a r e being developed topower sh ips and hydrofoils. The division employs about 41, 000 p e r s o n s andh a s i t s h ead q u a r t e r s in E a s t B a r t f o r d , Connecticut.

United A i r c r a f t Corporat ion , P r a t t & Whitney A i r c r a f t 1s paren t corpo-ra t ion , a l s o h a s five o ther operat ing divisions. Hamilton Standard designs andmanufac tu re r s a i r c ra f t p rope l l e r s and envi ronmen tal con t ro l s fo r a i r c ra f t andspace use . S ikor sky Ai rcr af t i s the wo r ld ' s lead ing des igner and bui lder ofhel ic opte rs. The Norden Division produces many electronic products fordefense and aerospac e. Uni ted Ai rc ra f t Corpo ra te Sys tems Cen te r c a r r i e s .out re se ar ch , development , and study in a number of ar e a s of spac e technology.United Technology Center i s developing s ol id propel lant roc ke t engines,prin cipa lly the fi r s t- stag e boo ste rs of the Titan 111-C sp ace launch veh icle.


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.In addition to these divisions, the re a ? e T e rn!%ed%rc?zft Resea rch

Lab ora to r ies and two subs id iar ies , United Aircraft International and UnitedA ir cr af t of Canada Limited. The corpo rat ion employs about 66,000 person s.Sa les in 1962 w er e $1, 160,458, 684,

Launch Information Saturn S-IV and the RL-10 Engine

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