Engineering Commons^™

Development And Testing Of An 8-Bit Digitally Throttled Hybrid Rocket Motor, Trevor W. Coombs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Hybrid rocket motors that use a solid fuel grain and liquid oxidizer are low-cost and safer alternatives to traditional rocket motors. Another benefit of hybrid rocket motors is that during a burn, the amount of oxidizer into the combustion chamber can be changed, this capability is called throttling. To take advantage of the throttling ability of hybrid rocket motors, a throttling valve made up of 8 individually controlled valves is designed, developed, and tested, which is documented in this thesis. The results of the testing campaign show that the 8-bit digital throttling valve technology is an effective throttling technology and …

Enabling Premixed Hydrogen-Air Combustion For Aeroengines Via Laboratory Experiment Modeling, Christopher James Caulfield

Masters Theses

All combustion systems from large scale power plants to the engines of cars to gas turbines in aircraft are looking for new fuel sources. Recently, clean energy for aviation has come into the foreground as an important issue due to the environment impacts of current combustion methods and fuels used. The aircraft industry is looking towards hydrogen as a new, powerful, and clean fuel of the future. However there are several engineering and scientific challenges to overcome before hydrogen can be deployed into the industry. These issues
range from storing the hydrogen in a viable cryogenic form for an aircraft …

Fabrication And Testing Of Catalyst-Infused Filament For 3d Printing Of Ignition-Augmented Hybrid Rocket Fuels, Kurt C. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis describes and addresses the need for reliable ignition in small satellite hybrid propulsion systems using higher density oxidizers. It describes methods of creating custom 3D printing ABS plastic based filaments that contain small amounts of catalysts. These catalysts lead to a more reliable and energy-efficient ignition of a hybrid rocked propulsion system using catalyst-infused ABS and nitrous oxide and oxygen blend called Nytrox, commonly known as ”laughing gas.” The ”laughing gas” has a higher density and can therefore provide more ”miles per gallon” in a hybrid propulsion system on a small satellite when compared to gaseous oxygen (GOX). …

Static Testing Of Hybrid Rocket Engine Using Biomass Waste, Saleh Mohammed Musaed Badi

Theses

This work investigates experimentally for the first time the performance of two solid biomass wastes as propellants for a Hybrid Rocket Motor based on the combustion and propulsion parameters such as combustion chamber pressure, thrust force, chamber temperature, combustion characteristics, and flame length generated. The main objective of this study is to examine the performance of the proposed biomass fuels (Date stone powder and Jojoba waste powder) in comparison with typical hydrocarbon fuels. To make an accurate comparison, Paraffin Wax-based propellant was used in this study as a reference fuel to compare with biomass performance using the same testing facility …

Design And Optimization Of An Electron Cyclotron Resonance Thruster, Austen Thomas

Masters Theses

Presented in this work is the process in the design and optimization of a coaxial electron cyclotron resonance thruster. Electron cyclotron resonance thrusters are novel microwave-based thrusters which possess select technological advantages over mature electric propulsion concepts such as being electrodeless and only requiring a single power source. The thruster constructed in this work is a coaxial configuration and is termed the Western electron cyclotron resonance thruster. Thruster dimensions were optimized based on past experimentation completed with ECR thrusters. In an attempt to enhance the microwave plasma coupling of the coaxial thruster design three different antenna configurations were considered: a …

Analysis Of Nozzle Expansion Characteristics In Supersonic Retro-Propulsion, Gonzalo Montoya

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Supersonic retro-propulsion (SRP) is defined as rocket propulsion used to decelerate aerospace vehicles at supersonic speed. SRP is often used as a method of high-speed deceleration on space vehicles. The main method of propulsion used in the application of SRP is rocket propulsion. Rocket engine thrust and performance changes with altitude and expansion ratio. Changing altitudes across the trajectory of a rocket affect how the exhaust plume shock waves expand. Being able to identify how different expansion ratios affect the exhaust plume flow fields would provide useful data on how SRP performance can be predicted. This research projects aims at …

The Utilization And Loss Of Available Energy In Aerospace Systems, Mohammad Abbas

Doctoral Dissertations

“Theoretical principles and analytical methodology for the control volume-based energy availability methodology for aerospace vehicles are developed; applications are made to jet-propelled and rocket-propelled vehicles as well as to stand-alone engine systems. Energy availability utilization characteristics of a modeled turbojet engine are studied across a wide range of operating conditions of throttle setting, flight altitude, and flight Mach number. The method is also extended to consider jet-powered vehicles. Fundamental principles regarding entropy generation and energy availability are developed, including directly linking entropy generation and maximum range and endurance of a powered aircraft. Theory and application of the energy utilization methodology …

Thermodynamic Analysis Of An Autogenous Pressurization System, Samuel H. Smith

Masters Theses

Pressurized gas feed systems have been vital to spacecraft where a pump-fed design would prove too large, heavy, or complicated to be effective. This project investigates autogenous pressurization – a pressurized feed system where the intentional vaporization of liquid propellant to fill the ever-increasing ullage space with its own warm, low-density gas. Motivation for this research originates from the University of Tennessee Space Institute’s (UTSI) contract with Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories (GTL) to assist the development of an innovative pressurization system.

While other pressurization systems have been studied and used extensively, modeling of an autogenous system is less established. Despite the relative …

Liquid Rocket Engine And Test System, Ronnie Wallingford, Grace Ann Phillips, Blake Bowser, Jack Dalton

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project is to design the University of Akron’s first design team built liquid propulsion rocket engine and testing system. The creation of this engine and testing system will create new opportunities for the Akronauts Rocket Design Team moving forward, allowing the team to enter more prestigious competitions, and will also enable students to better pursue opportunities in the space and defense industry by exposing them to more relevant industry experiences.

The liquid rocket engine designed by the team will utilize ethanol and liquid nitrous oxide to generate approximately 500 lbf of thrust. An accompanying test system …

Experimental Study Of A Liquid Fuel Bluff Body Flame At Elevated Pressures, Karam Paul

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this research was to operate a bluff body flame holder with the objective of stabilizing a flame at elevated pressures over a range of equivalence ratios. The ability to have a ground-based test rig capable of maintaining stable flames at high pressures and temperatures is critical in understanding flames present in modern jet engines and gas turbine technologies. The facility was reconfigured multiple times and the resultant flame was imaged within the optical test section. A converging nozzle was utilized to choke the flow and vary the operating pressures up to 5 atm. By regulating mass flow …

Development Of A Cold Gas Propulsion System For A 1u Cube Satellite, Norma Alicia Perea

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In efforts to further the development test capabilities of nanosatellites on earth, NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) is developing a Magnetic Levitation Table (MLT) for ground testing of nanosatellites. Testing of the table requires dedicated test articles that employ space-like systems, but those that can be used in the confines of a small lab testing area. In collaboration with WSTF, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Center for Aerospace Exploration Technology Research (cSETR) is developing an 1U cold gas propulsion cube-satellite demonstrator (CGD) to test capabilities of the levitation table. A 1U cube satellite was designed with …

Planar Motion Control Of A Cube Satellite Using Cold Gas Thrusters, Christian Lozoya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis presents a mathematical model developed for the computational simulation ofCubeSat movement using four thrusters that permit uniaxial translation and rotation. Arbitrary functions are fit to boundary conditions to simulate the force, acceleration, velocity, and displacement of the CubeSat along a plane. The model is used to derive a motion control algorithm assuming constant pressure and mass. A single model describes both translation and rotation. This Thesis also explores the relationship between propellant consumption and the time required to complete a displacement implied by the model.

Rocket Motor Nozzle, Corey Hillegass

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this honors research and senior design project, the authors will research, analyze, and manufacture a rocket motor nozzle for the Akronauts rocket design team. This research and design project will improve how the rocket design team will decide and manufacture nozzles going forward. The impact of this improvement allows the rocket design team to take steps toward being self-sustaining by manufacturing student designed parts as opposed to commercially bought parts. This will not only be successful in increasing student impact on future designs, but also provides a technical challenge for the authors and will present as an impressive feat …

Supersonic Propulsion: Inlet Shock Wave/Boundary Layer Interaction In A Diffuser, Lucas Fulop, Ian Henry, Jordan Ruffner, Anthony Mcmullen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Using a finite-volume approach and ANSYS/FLUENT, supersonic flow over a 2-D ramp of varying angles is modeled. The computational results from this model will be used to further explore the design of supersonic diffusers used on military aircraft. Using grid capturing features and inflation layers, shockwave and boundary layer interactions will be observed as well as wave-associated pressure changes in supersonic turbulent flow. The Spalart-Allmaras single-equation model of turbulent flow will be used in all simulations to more accurately represent the phenomena that occur in such high-speed environments. The size of upstream zones and recirculation zones will be obtained through …

Experimental Investigation Of Ionic Liquid Mixtures For Electrospray Propulsion, Mitchell J. Wainwright

Doctoral Dissertations

"In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of small satellites (namely MicroSats, NanoSats, and CubeSats) in earth orbit; many of these are launched without propulsion systems. Multi-mode propulsion systems, capable of operating in either chemical or electric mode, have been proposed as attractive candidates for use in small satellites. Such systems are mass and volume optimal and flexible in terms of thrust requirements. Most previous work on multi-mode systems has focused on chemical mode performance.The work in this dissertation focuses on the electric mode performance of these propulsion systems.

The work in this research is …

Design Principles And Preliminary Testing Of A Micropropulsion Electrospray Thruster Research Platform, Will Alan Mcgehee

Master's Theses

The need for micropropulsion solutions for spacecraft has been steadily increasing as scientific payloads require higher accuracy maneuvers and as the use of small form-factor spacecraft such as CubeSats becomes more common. Of the technologies used for this purpose, electrospray thrusters offer performance that make them an ideal choice. Electrosprays offer high accuracy impulse bits at low power and high efficiency, and have low volume requirements. Design choice reasoning and preliminary testing results are presented for two electrospray thruster designs. The first thruster, named the Demonstration thruster, is operated in atmospheric conditions and serves as a highly visible example of …

A Homegrown Dsmc-Pic Model For Electric Propulsion, Dominic Charles Lunde

Master's Theses

Powering spacecraft with electric propulsion is becoming more common, especially in CubeSat-class satellites. On account of the risk of spacecraft interactions, it is important to have robust analysis and modeling tools of electric propulsion engines, particularly of the plasma plume. The Navier-Stokes equations used in classic continuum computational fluid dynamics do not apply to the rarefied plasma, and therefore another method must be used to model the flow. A good solution is to use the DSMC method, which uses a combination of particle modeling and statistical methods for modeling the simulated molecules. A DSMC simulation known as SINATRA has been …

Thermal/Mechanical Analysis And Development Of A 2000 Lbf Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Methane Rocket Engine, Marissa Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) is developing three rocket engines: a 5 lbf reaction control engine, a 500 lbf engine, and a 2000 lbf engine. All these engines utilize a liquid oxygen and liquid methane propellant combination. The reason methane was selected for the fuel is because methane is easy to store, is self-pressurizing, and readily available. There is also the possibility of creating methane on planets such as Mars through an electrolysis process on the ice water found on Mars.

The 2000 lbf engine, or the CROME-X, is a modular, steady-state pintle injector engine. It …

Small Satellite Earth-To-Moon Direct Transfer Trajectories Using The Cr3bp, Garrett Levi Mcmillan

Masters Theses

"The CubeSat/small satellite field is one of the fastest growing means of space exploration, with applications continuing to expand for component development, communication, and scientific research. This thesis study focuses on establishing suitable small satellite Earth-to-Moon direct-transfer trajectories, providing a baseline understanding of their propulsive demands, determining currently available off-the-shelf propulsive technology capable of meeting these demands, as well as demonstrating the effectiveness of the Circular Restricted Three Body Problem (CR3BP) for preliminary mission design. Using the CR3BP and derived requirements from NASA's Cube Quest Challenge, five different trajectory scenarios were analyzed for their propulsive requirements. Results indicate that the …

Study Of Optical Propulsion Concepts And Techniques For Small-Satellites, Jaykob Neil Maser

Doctoral Dissertations

"The first objective of this research is to manufacture and investigate the characteristics and use of asymmetric, metallic, nanostructures for plasmonic force propulsion, a developing method of nano-/picosatellite thrust generation. This project developed a higher-fidelity model of a recently envisioned small spacecraft propulsion system for precision pointing and proximity control. Plasmonic force propulsion harnesses solar light focused onto plasmon reactive sub-wavelength nanostructures to generate polarized oscillations of electrons on the surface of metallic nanostructures which accelerate and expel nanoparticle propellant via strong optical forces. This research also explores how material selection affects the electromagnetic response of the closely positioned asymmetric …

Additively-Manufactured Hybrid Rocket Consumable Structure For Cubesat Propulsion, Britany L. Chamberlain

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three-dimensional, additive printing has emerged as an exciting new technology for the design and manufacture of small spacecraft systems. Using 3-D printed thermoplastic materials, hybrid rocket fuel grains can be printed with nearly any cross-sectional shape, and embedded cavities are easily achieved. Applying this technology to print fuel materials directly into a CubeSat frame results in an efficient, cost-effective alternative to existing CubeSat propulsion systems. Different 3-D printed materials and geometries were evaluated for their performance as propellants and as structural elements. Prototype "thrust columns" with embedded fuel ports were printed from a combination of acrylonitrile utadiene styrene (ABS) and …

Micro-Nozzle Simulation And Test For An Electrothermal Plasma Thruster, Tyler J. Croteau

Master's Theses

With an increased demand in Cube Satellite (CubeSat) development for low cost science and exploration missions, a push for the development of micro-propulsion technology has emerged, which seeks to increase CubeSat capabilities for novel mission concepts. One type of micro-propulsion system currently under development, known as Pocket Rocket, is an electrothermal plasma micro-thruster.

Pocket Rocket uses a capacitively coupled plasma, generated by radio-frequency, in order to provide neutral gas heating via ion-neutral collisions within a gas discharge tube. When compared to a cold-gas thruster of similar size, this gas heating mechanism allows Pocket Rocket to increase the exit thermal velocity …

Thermal Modelling And Validation Of Heat Profiles In An Rf Plasma Micro-Thruster, Alec Sean Henken

Master's Theses

The need and demand for propulsion devices on nanosatellites has grown over the last decade due to interest in expanding nanosatellite mission abilities, such as attitude control, station-keeping, and collision avoidance. One potential micro-propulsion device suitable for nanosatellites is an electrothermal plasma thruster called Pocket Rocket. Pocket Rocket is a low-power, low-cost propulsion platform specifically designed for use in nanosatellites such as CubeSats. Due to difficulties associated with integrating propulsion devices onto spacecraft such as volume constraints and heat dissipation limitations, a characterization of the heat generation and heat transfer properties of Pocket Rocket is necessary. Several heat-transfer models of …

Development Of A Cfd Model Of The Catalytic Combustion Of A Microtube Multi-Mode Propulsion System, Andrew Paul Taylor

Masters Theses

"This thesis presents the process and results of the development of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model in ANSYS Fluent 18.1 on the catalytic decomposition of a novel liquid monopropellant in a microtube in order to gain deeper insights than what is available through the experimental data. The CFD model was created using the Euler- Euler Multiphase model in conjunction with the Heterogeneous Reaction submodel. Such a choice of modeling setting was backed up by theory and benchmark computations on multiphase and compressible flow, shown in Section 3 and Appendix A. It was found that the previously determined one-step reaction …

The Design Of A Rocket Propulsion Labview Data Acquisition And Control System, Dylan Allan Ott

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

When designing a rocket engine, both the propulsion system and propellant choice(s) are an important deciding factor. Desired rocket engine behavior, specific impulse, and levels of thrust are all different between the various propulsion systems. A bi-propellant cryogenic liquid 5lbf, 500lbf, and 2000lbf rocket engine was designed and manufactured by UTEP. The 5lbf rocket engine is a Reaction Control Engine and the 500lbf and 2000lbf rocket engine is a throttleable Main Engine. To provide a reliable and safe data acquisition and control system for this experiment, a Real-Time control platform was needed. A compact DAQ system was purchased and configured …

Model Predictive Power Management Of A Hybrid Electric Propulsion System For Aircraft, Tyler J. Wall

Masters Theses

This work presents the switched optimal power flow control for an aircraft with a hybrid electric propulsion system. The propulsion system is a switched system that operates in either of two modes: (i) battery discharging and electric motor propelling and (ii) battery charging and electric motor generating. The aircraft model and components that form the hybrid propulsion system are modeled as either an algebraic power source/sink or as a dynamic model with appropriate power and state interconnections. With the system model defined, a model predictive control power management strategy is set fourth which minimizes a performance index that includes altitude …

An Investigation Into The Potential Benefits Of Distributed Electric Propulsion On Small Uavs At Low Reynolds Numbers, Engin Baris

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Distributed electric propulsion systems benefit from the inherent scale independence of electric propulsion. This property allows the designer to place multiple small electric motors along the wing of an aircraft instead of using a single or several internal combustion motors with gear boxes or other power train components. Aircraft operating at low Reynolds numbers are ideal candidates for benefiting from increased local flow velocities as provided by distributed propulsion systems.

In this study, a distributed electric propulsion system made up of eight motor/propellers was integrated into the leading edge of a small fixed wing-body model to investigate the expected improvements …

Design Of A 2000 Lbf Lox/Lch4 Throttleable Rocket Engine For A Vertical Lander, Israel Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid methane (LCH4) has been recognized as an attractive rocket propellant combination because of its in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) capabilities, namely in Mars. ISRU would allow launch vehicles to carry greater payloads and promote missions to Mars. This has led to an increasing interest to develop spacecraft technologies that employ this propellant combination.

The UTEP Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) has focused part of its research efforts to developing LOX/LCH4 systems. One of those projects includes the development of a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle called JANUS. This vehicle will employ a LOX/LCH4 …

Design And Development Of A Delivery System For Green Ionic Monopropellants And Testing Of A 22n Thruster, Jaclyn Mona Mejia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

LMP-103S and AFM-315E are emerging propellants that are less toxic to the environment than the propellants currently being used in spacecraft propulsion. Both propellants are a blend of liquid fuel, oxidizer and a majority percent of water. The diluted solutions enable the capability to handle and store the propellants with fewer requirements; for this reason, it decreases the overall cost of the propellants since it needs less precautions. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) a contract to further research green propellants and eventually replace Hydrazide.

Development, Analysis, And Optimization Of A Swirl-Promoting Mean Flow Solution For Solid Rocket Motors, Andrew Steven Fist

Masters Theses

This work demonstrates and analyses a new flow candidate for describing the internal gaseous motion in simulated rocket motors. The fundamental features of this solution include the conservation of key system properties also incorporated in the classic Taylor-Culick (TC) system (i.e. inviscid, axisymmetric, steady and rotational properties), while allowing for the development of a swirling velocity component. The work compares the new solution to the development and formulation of the classic TC system, ultimately identifying that both the new and classic solutions are special cases of the Bragg-Hawthorne equation. Following this development, the text then explores the development of energy-optimized …