Cooling systems
One of the main technical challenges in designing the Archimedes vessel was to provide the cooling system for the rocket fuel a reliable power source. The following pages provide a good impression of all relevant decisions and calculations.
Rocket fuel​
The Zenit-3SL uses RP-1 (Refined Petroleum-1 (Kerosene)) in combination with LOX (Liquid Oxygen) as fuel. A single Zenit-3SL rocket requires about 120 metric tons of RP-1 and 310 metric tons of LOX. The RP-1 is stable in atmospheric pressure. The LOX needs to be cooled to a temperature of at least minus 183 degrees Celsius.
Cooling Capacity
Let us take you through some basic calculations about the cooling system requirements.
Drive system
The cooling system for the LOX requires a reliable power source. The power is generated by nuclear power. We chose for this power source because it is available worldwide and it has a large energy density, so it does not take a lot of space.