A pressurizer for pressurizing a fluid includes: at least two storage
tanks, where, for each storage tank, the pressurizer further includes: a
propellant entrance valve, a propellant exit valve, a pressurant entrance
valve, and a pressurant exit valve, where each of the storage tanks is
configured to be filled with the fluid under a low pressure when its
propellant entrance and pressurant exit valves are open and its
propellant exit and pressurant entrance valves are closed, and to be
drained of the fluid under a high pressure by the force of a pressurant
when its valves are reversed, where its valves are configured to be
opened and closed in a cycle to sequentially fill and drain the storage
tank of the fluid, the cycle having a cycle time of between 1 and 500
milliseconds, and where the cycles of the valves of the storage tanks are
out of phase with each other such that at some time in which one storage
tank is being filled with the fluid, at least one other storage tank is
being drained of the fluid. The pressurizer may be used as a propellant
pump in a rocket engine.