Description
Like all of Rocketdyne's early engines, the H-1 used a waterfall injector fed by turbopumps, and regeneratively cooled the engine using the engine's fuel.
Unlike the J-2 engine used on the S-IVB stage, the H-1 was a single-start engine. It could be fired multiple times—and engines were usually subject to two or more static test firings before a mission to flight-qualify them—but it could not be restarted in flight, because some components required for the startup sequence were non-reusable. In particular, the engine was ignited by a Solid Propellant Gas Generator (SPGG), which was essentially a small solid rocket, and had to be replaced after each firing.
To start the engine a 500V AC voltage was applied to the SPGG, which ignited the solid propellant. This produced hot gas which was allowed to build up until reaching a pressure of 600-700 psi, after which a bursting diaphram released it into the turbine which drove the fuel turbopumps. This began the process of pumping fuel and oxidizer into the engine, and the hot gases from the SPGG provided the initial energy required to ignite the fuel/oxidizer mix. Once the fuel and oxidizer were being pumped and burning, the process was self-sustaining until engine shutdown.
Read more about this topic: H-1 (rocket Engine)
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