Engine Fails During Testing at McGregor

[kevinof]

My understanding is that the leak wasn't in the engine but on the test equipment. Could be incorrect but if I'm right then the issue has nothing to do with the engine and should be an easy fix. Seems to also tie in with SpaceX's claim that this will not impact any schedules.

Guess we'll find out eventually.

That's very speculative. Depends entirely on what caused the leak. It could have been an issue with the test stand itself, or it could be a design flaw with the engine. Could also be a manufacturing issue.

The problem is that while engineers always expect that tests could have failures, the schedulers don't. This is certainly going to push out this portion of the Block 5 qual. Whether that is the long pole in the schedule or not will determine if the overall schedule is affected. Their claim that it won't be indicates that they either have some float in the schedule or that this qual test wasn't a critical schedule driver. As an outsider, there is no way to know for sure. My guess would be that it will have an effect on something else, particularly with how over-worked the SpaceX team already appears to be.

 

[jaguar36]

Even if its a test stand issue, which is best case, they still will be losing at least a month while they fix the stand and have to redo the test. Assuming they have a spare engine that is prepared properly for the test (or could be prepared in the meantime). I'd be surprised if they have that much float in their schedule.

 

[mongo]

Even if its a test stand issue, which is best case, they still will be losing at least a month while they fix the stand and have to redo the test. Assuming they have a spare engine that is prepared properly for the test (or could be prepared in the meantime). I'd be surprised if they have that much float in their schedule.

The second stand is reported to only need a few days to repair. Otherwise, it's dependent on when the first block 5 launch was planned (pretty much what you stated two posts ago)

 

[swaltner]

I can't believe it hasn't been said yet, but

"Pics or it didn't happen!"

Truth be told, I just want to see high speed video of the system dismantling itself. Go SpaceX! I'm sure you'll quickly find a solution to whatever the source of this problem was.

 

[macpacheco]

There are three M1D engine test stands at McGregor. Two for SL engines, one for vacuum engines.
This was in one of the SL stands.
The one where the fire took place is expected to be back online maybe in less than a month (quote was weeks not months).
The other SL one was also affected, but the damage was minor, back online in a few days.
The M1Dvac one was not affected.
Hence flow for reuse launches are completely unaffected (refurb boosters don't go back to McGregor except for the very first one did).
Worst case testing of SL engines will be reduced to half capacity temporarily.
If my memory serves, new M1D engines are shipped to McGregor for acceptance testing before they are integrated into finished stages. Hence this is many months before a launch. Likely every M1D needed for all Nov/Dec/Jan launches have already been through their individual acceptance procedure, zero impact there.
With the recent news of NASA CRS, Iridium, SES and other smaller customers onboard booster reuse, this takes some pressure of new M1Dsl testing.
It seems like this news doesn't deserve 10% of the splash it got. More like a non issue if you ask me.

 

[jkn]

"burn" also requires heat. And "pretty much anything" has to be something that has not been oxidized, so a rock, SiO2 will not burn, even in pure oxygen. "grease" would maybe burn if it was hot and vaporized. It doesn't sound like an ignition, but a pressure explosion.

And I guess someone will point out that certain elements just won't combine with oxygen -- like oxygen.

Not related to this case (unless they use hypergolic ignition system), but assuming something cannot burn could burn you:
Chlorine trifluoride - Wikipedia
It is, of course, extremely toxic, but that's the least of the problem. It is hypergolic with every known fuel, and so rapidly hypergolic that no ignition delay has ever been measured. It is also hypergolic with such things as cloth, wood, and test engineers, not to mention asbestos, sand, and water—with which it reacts explosively. It can be kept in some of the ordinary structural metals—steel, copper, aluminum, etc.—because of the formation of a thin film of insoluble metal fluoride which protects the bulk of the metal, just as the invisible coat of oxide on aluminum keeps it from burning up in the atmosphere. If, however, this coat is melted or scrubbed off, and has no chance to reform, the operator is confronted with the problem of coping with a metal-fluorine fire. For dealing with this situation, I have always recommended a good pair of running shoes.

In an industrial accident, a spill of 900 kg of chlorine trifluoride burned through 30 cm of concrete and 90 cm of gravel beneath.

This video demonstrates what hypergolic means (made from aluminum and methane):

 

[Grendal]

It is extremely unlikely that it had anything to do with this incident but SpaceX uses TEA-TEB for ignition. It creates that green flash you can see in the first second of launch.

Triethylborane - Wikipedia

 

[jkn]

It is extremely unlikely that it had anything to do with this incident but SpaceX uses TEA-TEB for ignition. It creates that green flash you can see in the first second of launch.

Triethylborane - Wikipedia

Can you imagine cause which is not extremely unlikely?

 

[adiggs]

Not related to this case (unless they use hypergolic ignition system), but assuming something cannot burn could burn you:
Chlorine trifluoride - Wikipedia
It is, of course, extremely toxic, but that's the least of the problem. It is hypergolic with every known fuel, and so rapidly hypergolic that no ignition delay has ever been measured. It is also hypergolic with such things as cloth, wood, and test engineers, not to mention asbestos, sand, and water—with which it reacts explosively. It can be kept in some of the ordinary structural metals—steel, copper, aluminum, etc.—because of the formation of a thin film of insoluble metal fluoride which protects the bulk of the metal, just as the invisible coat of oxide on aluminum keeps it from burning up in the atmosphere. If, however, this coat is melted or scrubbed off, and has no chance to reform, the operator is confronted with the problem of coping with a metal-fluorine fire. For dealing with this situation, I have always recommended a good pair of running shoes.

In an industrial accident, a spill of 900 kg of chlorine trifluoride burned through 30 cm of concrete and 90 cm of gravel beneath.

This video demonstrates what hypergolic means (made from aluminum and methane):

The end of that is a hoot. "all in the name of science". Thanks for the video - that's fun to watch.