The Application of Niobium Tubes in the Fuel preheating Device of Rocket Engines

In the field of rocket engines, fuel preheating is a key link to achieve efficient combustion and component protection. Niobium tubes have become an ideal choice due to their multiple material advantages. Its melting point is as high as 2468°C, and it can operate stably in a high-temperature environment preheated above 800° C. Moreover, its low coefficient of thermal expansion can significantly reduce the risk of thermal stress cracking during engine start-up and shutdown. Meanwhile, niobium pipes have strong corrosion resistance to combustion by-products such as liquid hydrogen, methane fuel and high-temperature steam, and their thermal conductivity is even higher than that of titanium alloys, which can effectively improve the preheating efficiency of fuel.

Niobium piping have made breakthrough applications in the fuel preheating devices of different types of rocket engines. In the regenerative cooling system of the liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine, it is distributed in a coiled form around the combustion chamber and the nozzle. With the help of high-temperature exhaust gas or waste heat, the liquid hydrogen is rapidly heated up, which not only ensures the combustion stability but also protects the furnace wall. In the heating scenario of the pre-combustion chamber of a methane fuel engine, niobium tubes can uniformly heat methane to a supercritical state, avoiding local overheating and coking. In the gas heating system of solid-fuel rockets, the niobium tubes used as gas conduits can withstand instantaneous high temperatures above 2000°C and maintain structural stability.

Despite challenges such as extreme temperature shocks, niobium tubes have become the core material for rocket thermal management due to their comprehensive advantages of high-temperature strength, thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance. With the iteration of reusable rocket and hypersonic vehicle technologies, the application of niobium tubes in fuel preheating will be further expanded, providing key support for improving the efficiency and extending the lifespan of aerospace power systems, and promoting breakthroughs in the next generation of aerospace technologies towards greater reliability and efficiency.

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