3 Responses

1. LOL, the list is already pretty long…

   http://www.astronautix.com/engines/index.htm

   And the fuel combinations as well:
   http://www.astronautix.com/props/index.htm

   You have effectively five kinds of rocket engines:

   Chemical, Electrical, Nuclear Thermal, Nuclear radiation, Solar thermal.

   Chemical engines can be divided into solid propellant and liquid/gaseous propellants. The liquid engines can further be divided into groups by their engine cycle, the process by which the fuel is pumped into the rocket engine. Common are pressure-fed, gas-generator cycle, expander cycle and staged combustion cycle, but there are also rarer kinds like tap-off cycle and full flow staged combustion.

   Electrical can be divided into Electrostatic, electromagnetic and resistance. Ion thrusters are electrostatic engines.

   Nuclear thermal are all rocket engines, which work by heating a propellant by nuclear reactions, may it be fusion or fission.

   Nuclear radiation uses the direct radiation of the nuclear processes as propellant, for example antimatter beam core engines.

   Solar thermal concentrate the sun light with mirrors to heat the propellant.

2. Distillate engines use gasoline, kerosene, paraffin oil, propane, or any flammable liquid or gas as fuel. (Your car, lawnmower, boat, etc. has a common distillate engine.)

   Diesel engines use fuel oil or other heavy oil for fuel.

   On land, these engines propel vehicles by means of mechanical transmissions and powered wheels. On water, these engines power propellers or paddle wheels. In air, propellers provide propulsion.

   Steam engines can use any flammable substance for fuel, from peat moss to natural gas. Wood, coal, and fuel oil have been common fuels for steam engines. Steam engines are used on land and water, providing propulsion through powered wheels, propellers, and paddle wheels.

   Gas turbine engines use noble fuels such as kerosene and pulverized coal. They provide propulsion through propellers and electric transmissions. Gas turbine engines in the form of pure jets are also used to provide direct thrust with exhaust gasses.

   There are also reaction engines that can provide thrust in outer space. These are commonly called rocket engines. Rocket engines use flammable liquids with an oxidant for fuel, or some other chemical reaction that produces exhaust gas under high pressure.

   In addition, Ion engines are being developed to use electricity to provide thrust. And I could mention the Horst-Conrad Impeller and the Siderial Relative Field Seeker, but I would get in trouble with my home planet if I did.

3. Muscle power (humans and quadrapeds). Burns sugar (glucose) and oxygen in the cells.
   Steam or external combustion engines use expansion of gas to create pressure on pistons. Heat is generated by burning carbon based or hydrogen-rich fuels in air in the open.
   Internal combustion engines use the same principle, but burn fuel and air mixtures under pressure.
   Turbine engines use the above internal combustion, but substitute rotating blades for pistons.
   Electromotive engines use electricity in coils to make magnetic fields that move armatures of magnet materials. These can be rotational or linear motors.
   Rocket engines can be of several types:
   Solid fuel ones have oxidizer chemical and fuel mixed together and burn to create high pressure gases going out through a thrust nozzle.
   Liquid fuel ones have two liquids that mix and burn in the combustion chamber, then the gases exit the nozzle. One type uses two parts that ignite on contact. Another uses liquids that must be ignited.
   Pressurized gas jets don’t have combustion. The gas is stored under high pressure, or a liquid that is squirted out under pressure through the nozzle. Pressure can be supplied from a chemical reactor, or a pump, or can be put in before take off.
   Ion particle accelerator engine uses a liquid that can be expanded into a gas, ionized in an electric field, and accelerated out the engine by electric or magnetic fields. Power is supplied by another system, like solar panels and batteries, or nuclear power generators.
   Nuclear impulse engines use small (!!!) atomic explosions at the back of the ship, impacting on a big buffer plate.
   Laser beam riders and solar sail craft don’t really have engines of their own, but rely on an external energy to push them along.
   Bussard or magnetic bottle accelerator engine uses gas scooped up by huge magnetic field generators, reach out hundreds of miles to guide individual gas molecules into an entrance to a heat engine, which accelerates them out a nozzle.