1. DemonstratedTorchIgnitionwith LO2/LCH4Propellants The original 1998 IR&D Kistler OMS 870 Lbf injector was modified by enlarging both the fuel and oxidizer orifices to help reduce the LOX and LCH4 injection pressure drops and injection velocities. This was deemed necessary since the liquid methane density is half of the original ethanol fuel and because the nominal mixture ratio was increased from 1.5 to about 2.5. The previously demonstrated GOX/Ethanol igniter was used to ignite the LOX/LCH4 propellants to preclude the need for a demonstration of a newly designed LOX/LCH4 igniter. All of the LOX/LCH4 tests attempted were successfully ignited regardless of the targeted mixture ratio or chamber pressure and no problems were encountered withtorchignition.
2. 2.5 InjectorLife Throughout all of this hotfire testing and the previous LOX/Ethanol test program, this injector has exhibited superior durability. The injector face shows no indications of wear or cracking and can be used extensively in future test programs. It has been hot fired a total of 56 times with a duration of 2011 sec with LOX/Ethanol, and 45 times witha durationof1609 seconds with LOX/Methane.
3. Demonstration of a pulsing liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen thruster