The latest iteration of the Lotus family of engines, Lotus Dev 2 (LD2) is one of the most complex engines ever to be made by a university. With over 2,500 lbf of thrust and a regeneratively cooled construction, LD2 is designed for flight.
Lotus Dev 2 is the third engine manufactured in the Lotus family of engines. Powered by isopropanol and nitrous oxide at 500 psi of chamber pressure, LD2 makes a record-breaking 2,500 lbf of thrust. Using a pressure-fed system and a regeneratively cooled jacket, one of the first made by a university, LD2 is not only one of the most complex engines made by a university but also one of the most capable.
Designed for easy reuse and for long duration burns, LD2 was originally designed to fly on the Starscraper platform. LD2’s sibling, Iron Lotus, was successfully tested in the spring of 2017, testing the chamber and nozzle geometry, injector characteristics, and combustion parameters that are present on LD2. LD2 is now slated to be mounted onto BURPG’s new HTS test platform for a full test campaign.
LD2 features an impinging triplet injector (Ox-Fuel-Ox) to supply over 12 lbm/s to the engine. The 168 orifices are designed to operate at an average stiffness of 20% through engine transient to steady main stage operation. Smaller orifices along the radial edge of the injector face film cool the head end of the chamber.
LD2 utilizes liquid nitrous oxide and liquid isopropyl alcohol at an O/F ratio of 4/1. The chamber is designed to operate at 500 psi chamber pressure and can be throttled down to 300 psi chamber pressure. LD2's test campaign will include multiple low pressure water flows, cold flows, and hot fires of various duration culminating in 30s of burn time.
| 2,500 lbf | 233 sec |
|---|---|
| The designed thrust of Lotus Dev 2 during sea level tests | The expected specific impulse during sea level tests |
| Regenerative | 60+ seconds |
| The cooling method used on LD2. Designed for suborbital flight | The maximum burn time of LD2. Designed for suborbital flight |
