[AR] Re: [AR] Rocket engine plumbing Q’s
- From: Henry Spencer <hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Arocket List <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2021 17:07:33 -0500 (EST)
On Wed, 3 Feb 2021, Brett Coles wrote:
Wouldn't you want to avoid aluminum tubing in oxygen systems since it's
flammable?
Essentially all metals are flammable in oxygen, although some are more
reluctant to ignite than others. "At Rotary Rocket, we got real tired of
proving that stainless steel burns." -- Jeff Greason. Aluminum generally
has a hard, stubborn oxide layer on its surface, and also conducts heat
away from hot spots very well, so igniting solid aluminum is actually
rather difficult.
The NASA Lewis safety manual includes aluminum and aluminum alloys in its
list of materials considered safe for low-pressure (by which they mean,
under 1000psi) oxygen systems. At high pressures the list gets much
shorter.
Henry
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