Ni rocket motors, before and after machining

The cooling techniques used to make microchannel and micro-impingement coolers can be applied to high heat flux/high temperature components of rocket engines. MC² has teamed with Ventions, Inc. (San Francisco, CA) on several projects to develop small rocket motors with integrated microcooling. The nickel motors above, and the stainless steel motors below, demonstrate the ability to fabricate microcooled rocket motors as a single unit. MC² has also done exploratory development of aluminum rocket motors.

In earlier work, Micro Cooling Concepts' employees developed a microchannel-cooled rocket combustor using LOX as the coolant. The combustor, shown below, had a 7.5"-tall chamber with a 2.5" inner ID. 62.5 micron microchannels lined the entire inner surface.

Similar approaches can be used for throats and nozzles.