Development and Testing of the Laser System of Ignition of Rocket Engines

Abstract

This paper describes an experimental study pertaining to laser ignition of igniters of liquid rocket engines operating on such propellants as O $$_{2g}$$ + kerosene, O $$_{2g}$$ + ethanol, and O $$_{2g}$$ + H $$_{2g}$$ , and to how they ignite the propellant of a model combustion chamber. A quartz fiber based optical device is described, which allows for multiple ignition of the igniter and the combustion chamber without replacing the device. This study also touches upon possible types of pulsed lasers used in the laser ignition system, a fiber-optic laser igniter that remain hermetic and operable at a combustion chamber pressure of up to 10 MPa and more than 100 ignition cycles.