Propulsion and Power Commons^™

Ramjet Fuel System, Kelsey Selin

Aerospace Engineering

No abstract provided.

De-Orbiting Upper Stage Rocket Bodies Using A Deployable High Altitude Drag Sail, Robert A. Hawkins Jr., Joseph A. Palomares

Aerospace Engineering

This report examines the effectiveness of a drag sail to de-orbit upper stage rocket bodies. Many other perturbations contribute to the de-orbiting of these rocket bodies, and these perturbations will also be discussed briefly. This paper will show the length of time needed to force the altitudes of various launch vehicle stages with varying drag area sizes to less than 100 km. The upper stage of the Delta IV launch vehicle in an orbit with an altitude of 500 km will naturally de-orbit in 720 days but when equipped with a 20 m² drag sail, it will de-orbit in …

Implementation Of A ¼ Inch Hollow Cathode Into A Miniature Xenon Ion Thruster (Mixi), David Wayne Knapp

Master's Theses

Over the last decade, miniature ion thruster development has remained an active area of research do to its low power, low thrust, and high efficiency, however, due to several technical issues; a flight level miniature ion thruster has proved elusive. This thesis covers the design, fabrication, assembly, and test of an altered version of the Miniature Xenon Ion thruster (MiXI), originally developed by lead engineer Dr. Richard Wirz, at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In collaboration with Dr. Wirz, MiXI-CP-V3 was developed at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with the goal of implementing of a ¼ inch hollow cathode …

Hapss, Hybrid Aircraft Propulsion System Synthesis, Michael W. Green

Master's Theses

Hybrid Aircraft Propulsion System Synthesis (HAPSS) is a computer program that sizes and analyzes pure-series hybrid electric propulsion systems for aircraft. The development of this program began during a NASA SBIR contract, in conjunction with Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero), with the creation of a propulsion fan design tool. Since the completion of this contract in July 2010, the HAPSS program has been expanded to combine the many aspects of a hybrid propulsion system such as the propulsive fans, electric motors, generators, and controllers, and the internal combustion engines.

This thesis describes the benefits and drawbacks of aircraft hybrid propulsion systems …

Humanitarian Response Unmanned Aircraft System (Hr-Uas), Justin T. Knott, David P. Brundage, John S. Campbell, D. Austin Eldridge, Shaun B. Hooker, Jake R. Mashburn, Jacob L. Philpott

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Primary And Secondary Flow Interactions In The Mixing Duct Of A 2-D Planer Air Augmented Rocket, Martin Roy Popish

Master's Theses

Experiments were conducted on the Cal Poly air augmented rocket (AAR) in order to characterize two-dimensional flowfield phenomenon occurring in the mixing duct. The testing utilized a direct connect system where high pressure nitrogen is fed into the combustion chamber, to form a primary flow. The high pressure nitrogen is then expanded through a nozzle, with an area ratio of 22 and an exit area of 0.75 in², up to Mach 4.3. Secondary air is entrained from a plenum chamber which is used to create a lower stagnation pressure for the secondary flow. The two flows mix in …

A Survey Of Gaps, Obstacles, And Technical Challenges For Hypersonic Applications, Timothy Andrew Barber

Masters Theses

The object of this study is to canvas the literature for the purpose of identifying and compiling a list of Gaps, Obstacles, and Technological Challenges in Hypersonic Applications (GOTCHA). The significance of GOTCHA related deficiencies is discussed along with potential solutions, promising approaches, and feasible remedies that may be considered by engineers in pursuit of next generation hypersonic vehicle designs and optimizations. Based on the synthesis of several modern surveys and public reports, a cohesive list is formed, consisting of widely accepted areas needing improvement and falling under several general categories. These include: aerodynamics, propulsion, materials, analytical modeling, CFD modeling, …

A Method For Performance Analysis Of A Ramjet Engine In A Free-Jet Test Facility And Analysis Of Performance Uncertainty Contributors, Kevin Raymond Holst

Masters Theses

Ramjet and scramjet engines are being developed to provide a more fuel efficient means of propulsion at high Mach numbers. Part of the development of these engines involves test and evaluation of an engine in ground facilities as well as in flight. Ground facilities, like Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) and those at engine manufacturers like General Electric (GE) and Pratt & Whitney (PW), have decades of experience testing traditional turbine engines and much less experience testing full scale ramjet engines.

Testing a supersonic engine model in a free-jet mode presents a host of challenges not experienced during traditional direct …

Optimization And Design For Heavy Lift Launch Vehicles, Paul Andreas Ritter

Masters Theses

The simulation and evaluation of an orbital launch vehicle requires consideration of numerous factors. These factors include, but are not limited to the propulsion system, aerodynamic effects, rotation of the earth, oblateness, and gravity. A trajectory simulation that considers these different factors is generated by a code developed for this thesis titled Trajectories for Heavy-lift Evaluation and Optimization (THEO). THEO is a validated trajectory simulation code with the ability to model numerous launch configurations. THEO also has the capability to provide the means for an optimization objective. Optimization of a launch vehicle can be specified in terms of many different …

Development And Testing Of A Rotating Detonation Engine Run On Hydrogen And Air, Jason C. Shank

Theses and Dissertations

Rotating detonation engines (RDEs) have the potential for greater efficiencies over conventional engines by utilizing pressure gain combustion. A new modular RDE (6 in diameter) was developed and successfully run on hydrogen and standard air. The RDE allows for variation of injection scheme and detonation channel widths. Tests provided the operational space of the new RDE as well as characterized detonation unsteadiness. It was found that a smaller equivalence ratio than previous was required to obtain continuous detonations. Also discovered was VCJ was reached in the RDE, but not sustained.

Cooling Requirements For The Ultra Compact Combuster, Donald D. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past several years, AFIT and the Air Force Research Laboratory have collaboratively investigated a novel combustor system that is compact in design and has potential use in an inter-turbine burner system. The ultra-compact combustor (UCC) design wraps the combustion section circumferentially around the axial core flow and exploits the use of high-g combustion. The combustor's volume and weight are reduced by integrating the exit compressor vane and the turbine inlet vane. This creates a new hybrid vane that resides directly below the circumferential combustor. Recently, a computational effort to understand the fundamental aspects of the UCC on a …

Desensitizing Flame Structure And Exhaust Emissions To Flow Parameters In An Ultra-Compact Combuster, Adam K. Parks

Theses and Dissertations

A major thrust of turbine engine research is to improve both efficiency and thrust-to-weight ratio of the engine. A promising solution to this challenge is the Ultra-Compact Combustor (UCC). The UCC shortens the axial length of the combustor by performing combustion circumferentially on the outer diameter of the engine. The reduction in axial length yields significant weight savings and increases the thrust-to-weight ratio. The design also increases combustion efficiency by performing the combustion in a centrifugally loaded environment which allows unreacted particles to remain in the combustor sufficiently long enough to become combustion products. The Air Force Institute of Technology …

Build Up And Operation Of An Axial Turbine Driven By A Rotary Detonation Engine, Jonathan R. Tellefsen

Theses and Dissertations

Detonation combustors provide advantages over current deflagration combustors due to their pressure gain and simplicity of design. Rotary detonation engines (RDEs) offer advantages over pulsed detonation engines (PDEs) due to a steadier exhaust and fewer total system losses. All previous research on turbine integration with detonation combustors has focused on utilizing PDEs to drive axial and centrifugal turbines. The objective of this thesis was the integration and testing of an axial turbine driven by a rotary detonation engine (RDE) to determine turbine operability. In pursuit of this objective, convergent nozzle sections were placed on the RDE to simulate the back-pressurization …

Investigating Various Propulsion Systems For An External Attachment For A Controlled-Manual De-Orbit Of The Hubble Space Telescope, Nelson De Guia

Aerospace Engineering

This reports explains the results for a proposed senior project. This project concerns the Hubble Space Telescope, and exploring the possibility of having an external propulsion attachment for a manual de-orbit. The Hubble Space Telescope was proposed to return to Earth via the Space Shuttle. Although, through the current U.S. Space Administration, the Space Shuttle has been retired before the Hubble Space Telescope was retrieved. By completing this project, the results could provide insight to what type of propulsion would best de-orbit the Hubble upon its retirement. Different propulsion systems were considered to attempt to determine an optimal attachment, varying …

Feasibility Analysis For Electrically-Powered Hoverboard, Cameron Chan, Jason Cortez, Jay Lopez

Aerospace Engineering

Composite materials are engineered by combining two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties in such a way that the constituents are still distinguishable, and not fully blended. Due to today’s high rising prices of gasoline and aviation fuel costs, many manufacturers have turned to the use of lightweight composites in their designs due to the advantages of the composite material, which include outstanding strength, excellent durability, high heat resistance, and significant weight reduction that the composite material properties hold. The purpose of this project is to design and construct a composite structure for an electrically-powered …

Experimental Investigation Of A 2-D Air Augmented Rocket: High Pressure Ratio And Transient Flow-Fields, Josef S. Sanchez

Master's Theses

A 2-D Air Augmented Rocket, the Cal Poly Air Augmented Rocket (CPAAR) Test Apparatus operating as a mixer-ejector was tested to investigate high stagnation pressure ratio and transient flow fields of an ejector. The primary rocket ejector was supplied with high pressure nitrogen at a maximum chamber pressure of 1758 psia and a maximum mass flow rate of 1.4 lb/s. The secondary flow air was entrained from a fixed volume plenum chamber producing pressures as low as 3.3 psia. The maximum total pressure ratio achieved was 221. The original CPAAR apparatus was rebuilt re-instrumented and capability expanded. A fixed volume …

Fadec Advances Allow Better Engine Performance, Nihad E. Daidzic

Aviation Department Publications

No abstract provided.

Design And Analysis Of A Reusable N2o-Cooled Aerospike Nozzle For Labscale Hybrid Rocket Motor Testing, Daniel Joseph Grieb

Master's Theses

A reusable oxidizer-cooled annular aerospike nozzle was designed for testing on a labscale PMMA-N₂0[1] hybrid rocket motor at Cal Poly-SLO.[2] The detailed design was based on the results of previous research involving cold-flow testing of annular aerospike nozzles and hot-flow testing of oxidizer-cooled converging-diverging nozzles. In the design, nitrous oxide is routed to the aerospike through a tube that runs up the middle of the combustion chamber. The solid fuel is arranged in an annular configuration, with a solid cylinder of fuel in the center of the combustion chamber and a hollow cylinder of fuel lining …

High Speed Flow Simulation In Fuel Injector Nozzles, Sukanta Rakshit

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Atomization of fuel is essential in controlling combustion inside a direct injection engine. Controlling combustion helps in reducing emissions and boosting efficiency. Cavitation is one of the factors that significantly affect the nature of spray in a combustion chamber. Typical fuel injector nozzles are small and operate at a very high pressure, which limit the study of internal nozzle behavior. The time and length scales further limit the experimental study of a fuel injector nozzle. Simulating cavitation in a fuel injector will help in understanding the phenomenon and will assist in further development.

The construction of any simulation of cavitating …

State Of The Art / Novel Rotary-Turbo-Inflow Tech / Featured Development - Gearturbine Project - Atypical Motor Engine Type, Carlos Barrera

Carlos Barrera

GEARTURBINE PROJECT Atypical InFlow Thermodynamic Technology Proposal Submission Novel Fueled Motor Engine Type

*State of the art Innovative concept Top system Higher efficient percent. Have similar system of the Aeolipile Heron Steam device from Alexandria 10-70 AD. -New Form-Function Motor-Engine Device. Next Step, Epic Design Change, Broken-Seal Revelation. -Desirable Power-Plant Innovation.

YouTube; * Atypical New • GEARTURBINE / Retrodynamic = DextroRPM VS LevoInFlow + Ying Yang Thrust Way Type - Non Waste Looses

-This innovative concept consists of hull and core where are held all 8 bteps of the work-flow which make the concept functional. The core has several gears …