Liquid Rocket Engines 10: A Giant 400psi Super Soaker

Hi Rocketeers! In this video I assembly one half of my test stand allowing me to conduct a full-pressure test of the main propellant valves, which also happens to give me the best super-soaker in the neighborhood.
To run this test I machine several custom fittings, and weld a few more. I then assemble everything on my test stand before performing leak checks and proof testing.
Patreon: / charliegarcia
Twitter: / astro_chuck

[@AirCommandRockets]

Awesome update! Keep up the great work Charlie. I wouldn't submerge the tank in water when doing the hydro test. That water on the outside is just going to transfer all that energy directly into the outer container. Don't ask how I know. :)

[@ConnorAustin]

I am making an liquid engine myself you are a great inspiration

[@Iansimmons]

same

[@ovidiu-mihai5509]

Charlie Garcia, why don't you continue the research with the liquid propulsion engine? Did you manage to do the tests with liquid oxygen, with these beer tanks?

[@alexandreguitchkine2112]

Hello Charlie, recently found this playlist and had to watch all videos in it. Being a graduated aerospace engineer, rocket engines - that's my illness:), love them, but to use hyperbolic propellants. I just want to say, even I have experience in building similar systems, I got tons of new things out of your videos. Keep it up and wish you success in your projects.

[@djredrover]

love your stuff mate! Can't wait for turbopump testing!

[@BrandonKent136]

hes building a turbopump engine? I was assuming he'd just do a pressure-fed engine

[@djredrover]

@@BrandonKent136 You might be right actually.

[@btl4665]

Thought you were gone. Soo good for you to be back. You inspired me to start an engine of my own

[@wagonroller3019]

Great to see you welding and machining Charlie , that is where the pure rocket engine craftmanship lies . Keep going keep going.

[@evanw7867]

In regards to the trouble with welding the fittings, they probably have a chrome or zinc coating for corrosion resistance. If you grind that layer off, they should weld much better! (And the fumes won't be as toxic then :P)

[@evridgepope]

Woah! I just subbed this week, didn’t expect this video after a year since the last episode of LRE. Nice!

[@Me-ld8bt]

Please make more of these videos! I really like this series.

[@joshsickles1163]

Awsome video! I geek out way to much to your content.

[@RevJawa]

I'm so glad that you're back!

[@KarandeepSinghKamboj]

You spent 3 years or more to reach there, hatsoff, inspired by u

[@treavormiller9552]

nice to see you making videos again! I assume your new job is the main reason for less videos?

[@MichaelLloyd]

A number of years ago a fab shop hydrotested a 8' diameter x 16' tall used vessel for us. It was an ANSI 600 vessel rated to 1,400 psig. Unbeknownst to them or us is had a hydrogen embrittlement problem and somewhere around 900 psig the area near the point where the skirt was welded onto the vessel cracked and about 12" of material pushed out. Other than the mess that it made on the shop floor it was a non-event. Ie the pressure drops very quickly and movement of the metal is very limited. Hydro testing is relatively safe. Congrats on the successful test.

[@revmsj]

Still a scary ass moment!

[@vedantmomaya1533]

Awesome content as always , so nice to see you again, ur a true inspiration . Keep up with the awesome work 👍👍

[@blackeagle1985]

Finally! A blessing from the lord!

[@Caliper_Click]

absolute legend! keep goin

[@ryandavis9879]

Hell yeah! If you ever start your own company and need another aero engineer id be game to jump ship

[@PeterKocic]

Finally! Glad you are back, keep the content coming :) Also, watch your ears with gas discharges.

[@vernepavreal7296]

Excellent video Consider using propellant tank membranes and nitrogen pressurisation thus avoiding the need for helium Cheers

[@ConnorAustin]

What membrane would be safe for lox use

[@lloydbush]

LRE is back!

[@TSSolutionsPro]

have you tried friction welding.

[@slevinshafel9395]

yujuuuuu!!!!! i want more graphic content. i need to build mine and make SpaceX competition.

[@revmsj]

Good luck, brotha! ✊🏾🤣

[@jeronimocaceresguido282]

Te extrañamoos

[@ilyasbendjeffal9758]

Hey charlie its been a while...👍 Pleas im searching for any paper or an article that describe tvc gimbal control "mathematical model anything...."....any clue about the subject!??

[@quentinkasriel9485]

Thanks for the new video! I have a question, can you open a discord server? It would be really helpful to get in contact with people who have more experience/have already finished their rockets.

[@bocajnamyerf]

Another solution to testing for leaks is partially pressurizing the vessel and spraying soapy water on the tank/tank connectors and see where bubbles form

[@revmsj]

Please never do that. Find an approved “leak detection solution” as detergent soaps have a degradation corrosive effect on many metals.

[@winstonsmith478]

I've wondered why no amateur to my knowledge has ever attempted to recreate the simple as possible hypergolic liquid fueled (RFNA and Dibutyl Ether) WWII German design called the Taifun F as detailed in the DTIC PDF document ADA800683.

[@ultima8250]

"Amateur" and "hypergolic" don't tend to mix well

[@winstonsmith478]

@@ultima8250 More difficult to handle, but definitely not impossible and the Taifun was made to be as simple as possible.

[@revmsj]

Hell, I’m not certain but I’d also assume that simply trying to source them or the chemicals to brew them up may evoke an eyebrow raise from the feds🤔

[@mmb3006]

Yooo let's gooo!!!!

[@mmb3006]

I'm a bit confused on the part at the end of the video where you said that one of the things that you confirmed out of your super soaker test is the mass flow rate, I know that that can be calculated so I'm not sure why the test was required and I'm thinking of 2 possibilities, 1 being that because of the friction with the pipes the mass flow rate can't be accurately calculated and 2 being something with the pipe diamiter limiting you on the m_dot, but I'm not sure what that could be?

[@AstroCharlie]

Flow rates can be calculated fairly accurately beforehand, but it's always possible I made a mistake or added a component that did not match my model. The test ensures that I don't need to debug the system before moving on.

[@revmsj]

Fluids be fickle, man! Something as seemingly innocuous as Teflon tape or metal slivers could impede flow or worse, jamb valves, regs, et al. Also, hard 90°s instead of sweeps, and other sources of friction greatly reduce mass flow which can sometimes be more easily identified with a test than to math it out.

[@revmsj]

Plus it gives a good opportunity to check connections for leaks and proper operation! 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@adam_bomb2103]

What happened to this?

[@epicdaniel508]

Yeeeeess

[@mohamedfarid7499]

open your startup space company

[@windshear2158]

Love the updates. Nice job. Me and one of my friends are working building a 5kN bi-prop engine and we were wondering where you got your pressure tank for the LOX, also if you had any recommendations? Thank you and keep up the good work :)

[@epicdaniel508]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4XFlISBdpaogbc

[@revmsj]

8 psi lost over that time could be explained away by the initial heat gain from having pressurized the tank then letting it cool. I have a feeling that if you let it sit longer, it would have settled to a given pressure then assuming the temperature stayed constant, so would your settled pressure. ….potentially.

[@romoalex]

That tank isn’t rated for that much psi

[@revmsj]

So was that mass flow test performed with water? I’m assuming you mathed the difference in propellant density to your test medium’s density? That would obviously have an effect on your mass flow rate.

[@madan1531]

From where i can learn all these things