Quantitative determination of mass flow from the fuel and rocket engine structural materials by means of spectral measurements during fire tests

The paper describes both an equipment installation and a method of the optical emission spectral analysis of the rocket engine plume during fire tests. This method featuring both a non-intrusive diagnostics and rocket engine monitoring allows the real-time monitoring of compound removal from the fuel and rocket structural materials during fire tests. Measurement precision is up to a milligram per second. The paper presents a diagram and a description of the spectral equipment. An approach to quantitative measurement of the amount of different chemical elements existing in the rocket engine plume is described. The approach also allows identifying engine parts and materials, which are exposed to destruction and degradation. The example of its application during fire testing of the 2nd and 3rd stage rocket engines of the carrier rocket "Proton" is given. The spectral equipment detectability valid for this approach is evaluated.

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