I know it's not Nuclear - but .. I have been curious and the more I research it - you get the sense that Bezo's read alot of Heilein growing up.
What I want to know is what is "wave rotor" and why is it so much better then other systems. I don't recall it from the list of really effective technology.
Plus I'm quite cynical as given how much Elon is spending in getting the Falcon off the pad.
The cost of development is estimated at $US30 million. Engineers affiliated with the company were in Las Cruces, N.M., last year, exploring territory near the White Sands Missile Range for a possible launch pad.
The company is also funding scientists around the world who are researching unconventional propulsion systems like �wave rotors,� which regulate the fuel into pulse engines to lower the weight and cost of getting to space.
O.K., I became intruiged and did a little digging on Blue Origin and "Wave Rotors."
Blue Origin is a small aerospace company barely a year old based in Seattle, Washington that is doing research on a vehicle which sounds a lot like Armadillo aerospace's vehicle. "Blue's" will use the same propellant combination: high test hydrogen peroxide and kerosene--a hefty, high density, highly energetic combination that atleast on paper looks good enough to do the job. Several small engines have been built using this combination which proves it can be used.
Blue Origin is advocating a VTOVL (vertical takeoff/vertical landing) approach, which can be done given certain guidance, control, and throttling solutions. Not impossible, just technically difficult to work out. I would imagine it's mostlly a software problem--not a big deal. But lots of testing and new territory to cover. Good opportunities for frontier science!
Digging for info about "Wave Rotors" first turned up an awful lot information about cutting edge brake rotors for race cars and motorcycles. Since I'm thinking that these kind of brakes probably won't do didly for a space craft--I dug a little deeper.
I found a nice website belonging to the NASA Glenn Research Center about this technology. The website is at:
Here is a snippet from their website describing the basics of the technolgoy and their research direction:
"The wave rotor is a turbomachinery component that accomplishes the compression and expansion processes of a high-pressure spool (i.e., a gas generator or gasifier) within a single component. It is self-cooling and aerodynamically compatible with the low corrected flow rates supplied by the compressors of modern, high-pressure-ratio turboshaft engines. A wave rotor can be embedded concentrically between the high-pressure compressor and high-pressure turbine to increase the overall pressure ratio of the gas turbine engine by a factor of three and increase the peak temperature by 25 percent, without increasing the temperatures of the rotating machinery components. These thermodynamic increases enhance gas turbine engine power and efficiency significantly. For example, the wave rotor is predicted to increase the specific power of the Rolls-Royce Allison model 250 helicopter engine by 18 percent while reducing specific fuel consumption by 15 percent."
Now what it appears to be is a single device that performs the final compression and first expansion of gasses inside a gas turbine engine. As such, it ought to be the most stressed, hottest, and fastest spinning component. I would imagine that this could be favorable for many reasons--the turbulance could probably induce more thorough mixing and combustion of fuel, as well as initially or 'pre-swirling' exhaust gasses to intercept the first stage high-pressure turbine more efficiently. A rotating stator if you will...
It looks like the device could be adapted to turbopumps as a more efficient alternative to the gas-turbines used in generator-cycle high pressure turbopumps typically used to pump propellants into the combustion chamber of a rocket engine. Rotating at higher speeds, with more power could decrease the size necessary for the turbopump while simultaneously boosting outlet pressure. More compact turbopumps are not only easier and cheaper to build, they are volumetrically stronger and more durable. Smaller usually means less complex--and that is also a plus. This could be Blue Origin's research objective.
Anyways, very interesting. "Wave Rotors" seem to directly combine properties of both a compressor and turbine into one unit. I never thought of that before. Very cool!
