Rocket engine cycles: How do you power a rocket engine?
1,580,942
Published 2022-04-28
They can be super simple, like just opening the valves of a tank under high pressure to having complex pumps arranged in a fashion so confusing it’s a miracle anyone ever figured out how to build them in the first place.
So today we’re going to talk about cold gas, pressure fed, electric pump fed, open cycle, closed cycle, full flow staged combustion, tap off and expander cycles. We’ll go over their pros and cons and lots of fun examples of each one!
Check out our article version of this video too for sources and links! - everydayastronaut.com/rocket-engine-cycles/
00:00 - Intro
02:55 - Basics Of Rocket Engines
05:35 - Cold Gas Thrusters
10:25 - Monopropellant Pressure Fed
14:15 - Bipropellant Pressure Fed
17:45 - Electric Pump Fed
21:05 - Open Cycle
25:40 - Closed Cycle [Ox Rich]
31:15 - Closed Cycle [Fuel Rich]
35:25 - Full Flow Staged Combustion
44:25 - Tap-Off Cycle
46:45 - Expander Cycle
52:20 - Summary
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All Comments (21)
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I think we forgot about the cycle where you rupture the propellant tanks and use the whole vehicle and its surroundings as the combustion chamber.
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Masterclass in breaking down a complicated topic. Great job to you and your team!
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honestly your content is beginning to feel more and more like curriculum as it gets fleshed out and cross referenced. very few people would have the stones to go into as much detail as you have done. thank you for caring about getting it right. you are a researcher and presenter of quality sir.
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I'm still amazed this level of content is totally free for everyone to watch. Thank you Professor Tim!
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A "like" is a given; a comment is grossly inadequate to convey my gratitude for the stellar work you do!
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I learned more about rocket science in the last 30 minutes than I have in 5 years, wow dude. You are good at teaching this.
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We use “rocket science” as a term to indicate something is extremely complex. And it is, but you present it so well that I understand it. You’re a legend Tim.
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This, Tim Dodd, was a tour-du-force. Your attention to detail and the effort you put into ensuring that we (your loyal audience) actually understand what you are trying to explain to us was obvious. This video was a really good primer about rocket engines and the diverse choices that engineers and designers can make when trying to "build a better mouse trap". Thank you.
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Tim, the nerdier you get on mathematics and physics, the more enjoyable your videos are!
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This video helped me a lot, gradually increasing the complexity is what made me understand, thank you!
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I'm overwhelmed at how good this was, Tim. At first I thought "well, this is obviously a setup for a paid curriculum/class". Can't believe that you offer this for free to the world. You're doing an important service to space and science education and should be proud of what you've accomplished. Well done, sir.
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Excellent video about different types of rocket engines!
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This is a masterpiece. Structure, flow, pacing, diagrams, animations, clips all spot on. Thank you very much.
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I like how you took us from a simple party balloon to Raptor 2 engine. Thank you very much. No lecture would be able to understand those basic concepts as fast as you did.
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I've been following you for years Tim. Since before Boca Chica, and even since before Starhopper took it's first hop. I'm consistently amazed by not only the understanding you've garnered regarding these incredibly complex topics, but the simplicity with which you explain them. I've always loved space and spaceflight, but you were the catalyst for much of my understanding of its nuance. For that, I cannot thank you enough.
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Absolutely magnificent! I thought I already had a pretty good idea of cycle types, but still learned a lot. Each time a question arose in my head, you did immediately address it in the next sentence or so.
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I'm an aircraft engineer and I've learnt so much from you about rockets. You're like an old fashioned engineering teacher who's not afraid to challenge students with depth information. Thanks, Tim!
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Can you make a video about the structural engineering of rockets? I am always amazed how they transmit hundreds or even thousands of tons of thrust into the chassis, without everything just getting crushed^^
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This channel is honestly the most valuable thing in the entire internet
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I LOVE how this video works from the bottom up - from just opening a valve, where the recoil pushes back (which everybody knows and understands) to what if you do X Y and/or Z to improve. This is literally how engine development advanced, so it makes sense to teach it this way.
