Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Performance Characteristics Design Of Pulsed Plasma Thrusters For Drag Counter-Reacting, Dr. Sam Dakka

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Determining the performance characteristics of off the shelf pulsed plasma thrusters to enhance the life time of low earth orbiting platforms was investigated theoretically. Pulsed plasma thruster analysis was accomplished through development of correlations from historical data that distinguished between breech fed propellant to side fed propellant designs. Based on semi-empirical equations the power required by the thruster to counter react the drag was estimated and mapped for 1U to 27U CubeSat configurations for altitude ranging between 200km to 600km. It appears that the power required is dependent on the feeding delivery system design. For side fed designs the power …

Parametric Study Of A Turbojet Engine With Auxiliary Bypass Combustion- The Turboaux Engine, Kaleab Fetahi, Sharanabasaweshwara A. Asundi, Arthur C. Taylor, Adem H. Ibrahim, Syed Firasat Ali

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

A parametric study of a novel turbojet engine with an auxiliary combustion chamber, nicknamed the TurboAux engine is presented. The TurboAux engine is conceived as an extension of a turbojet engine with an auxiliary bypass annular combustion chamber around the core stream. The study presented in this article is motivated by the need to facilitate clean secondary burning of fuel at temperatures higher than conventionally realized from air exiting the low-pressure compressor. The parametric study is initiated by performing a simple optimization analysis to identify optimal ‘fan’ pressure ratios for a series of conventional low-bypass turbofan engines with varying bypass …

Assessment And Applications Of The Conversion Of Chemical Energy To Mechanical Energy Using Model Rocket Engines, Hüseyin Sarper, Nebojsa I. Jaksic, Ben J. Stuart, Karina Arcaute

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

To provide the first-year engineering students with a hands-on experience in an engineering application using both chemistry and physics, this team project uses a set of chemical and physical energy concepts and MS Excel based analysis. The main objective of the project is to calculate how much of the potential maximum possible chemical energy is converted into propulsion when using model rocket engines with solid fuel. The secondary objective is to determine the effects of increasing conversion rates on the performance of a model rocket. The solid fuel or propellant used in common model rocket engines is black powder. Compared …

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 …

Characterizing Premixed Syngas Combustion In Micro-Channels, Sunita Pokharel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Increasing demands in the next-generation portable power-generation devices such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), microsatellite thrusters, micro-chemical reactors and sensors calls for fuels with high specific energy and low emissions to meet the current demand of green energy. Fuel-lean synthesis gas (syngas) meets both these requirements exhibiting a promising route to a clean and green environment. Thus, it is of critical importance to characterize syngas combustion and understand its properties in the micro-combustion industry. In addition to complicated flame dynamics in microscale systems, varying the syngas-fuel mixture composition as well as the boundary conditions and geometry of a combustor significantly …

Active Fault-Tolerance Of The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Automatic Control Systems, Vuong Anh Trung, Nguyen Van Thinh, Nguyen Duc Thanh, Nguyen Quang Vinh, Tran Thuan Hoang

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This paper presents an introductory overview of principles of the three-layer hierarchy of active fault-tolerance, providing, determination of the fault type with as many details as enough to get recoverable fault reason and failure toleration by flexible redundancy using; the conception of active fault-tolerant control in abnormal modes is described. Developed models and methods of a systematic approach to fault tolerance in the direction of the effective use of the signal, parametric and structural redundancies and selection of parrying tools. Performed experimental researches of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) automatic control systems (ACS).

An Experimental And Numerical Study Of High Temperature Gaseous Flow Through An Open Cell Silicon Carbide Foam Heater, Denis Pansolin

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Double Wall Cooling Of An Effusion Plate With Simultaneous Cross Flow And Impingement Jet Array Internal Cooling, Phil Ligrani, Austin Click, David Ritchie, Federico Liberatore, Rajeshriben Patel, Yin-Hsiang Ho

PRC-Affiliated Research

The present study considers comparisons of hot-side effusion plate results for a mainstream flow passage with CR = 1 and for a mainstream flow passage with CR = 4. The coolant supply arrangement for both CR contraction ratio values includes simultaneous use of cross flow and an impingement jet array. For the effusion cooled/hot surface, presented are spatially-resolved distributions of surface adiabatic film cooling effectiveness, and surface heat transfer coefficients (measured using infrared thermography). These results are given for main flow Reynolds numbers Rems of 89,900 to 95,800. For this main flow Reynolds number range, four different combination values of …

Double Wall Cooling Of An Effusion Plate With Simultaneous Cross Flow And Impingement Jet Array Internal Cooling, Phil Ligrani, Austin Click, David Ritchie, Federico Liberatore, Rajeshriben Patel, Yin-Hsiang Ho

PRC-Affiliated Research

The present study considers comparisons of hot-side effusion plate results for a mainstream flow passage with CR = 1 and for a mainstream flow passage with CR = 4. The coolant supply arrangement for both CR contraction ratio values includes simultaneous use of cross flow and an impingement jet array. For the effusion cooled/hot surface, presented are spatially-resolved distributions of surface adiabatic film cooling effectiveness, and surface heat transfer coefficients (measured using infrared thermography). These results are given for main flow Reynolds numbers Rems of 89,900 to 95,800. For this main flow Reynolds number range, four different combination values of …

Double Wall Cooling Of An Effusion Plate With Simultaneous Cross Flow And Impingement Jet Array Internal Cooling, Phil Ligrani, Austin Click, David Ritchie, Federico Liberatore, Rajeshriben Patel, Yin-Hsiang Ho

PRC-Affiliated Research

The present study considers comparisons of hot-side effusion plate results for a mainstream flow passage with CR = 1 and for a mainstream flow passage with CR = 4. The coolant supply arrangement for both CR contraction ratio values includes simultaneous use of cross flow and an impingement jet array. For the effusion cooled/hot surface, presented are spatially-resolved distributions of surface adiabatic film cooling effectiveness, and surface heat transfer coefficients (measured using infrared thermography). These results are given for main flow Reynolds numbers Rems of 89,900 to 95,800. For this main flow Reynolds number range, four different combination values of …

Performance Enhancement And Characterization Of An Electromagnetic Railgun, Paul M. Gilles

Master's Theses

Collision with orbital debris poses a serious threat to spacecraft and astronauts. Hypervelocity impacts resulting from collisions mean that objects with a mass less than 1g can cause mission-ending damage to spacecraft. A means of shielding spacecraft against collisions is necessary. A means of testing candidate shielding methods for their efficacy in mitigating hypervelocity impacts is therefore also necessary. Cal Poly’s Electromagnetic Railgun was designed with the goal of creating a laboratory system capable of simulating hypervelocity (≥ 3 km/s) impacts. Due to several factors, the system was not previously capable of high-velocity (≥ 1 km/s) tests. A deficient projectile …

2019 Summer-Fall Graduate Recognition Program, Propulsion Research Center, Robert Frederick

PRC Graduate Recognition

This program includes the graduate recognition program for summer and fall 2019. Includes photographs, upcoming events, recent publications, and student profiles.

Oh Production And Jet Length Of An Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Jet For Soft And Biomaterial Treatment, Ryan P. Gott, Kunning G. Xu

PRC-Affiliated Research

Atmospheric-pressure plasma jets (APPJs) are currently being studied and developed for the biomedical, chemistry, and physics communities because of their ability to produce desirable reactive species at low temperatures and at atmospheric pressures. Due to the high particle densities, small scales, and nonequilibrium nature of these plasmas, they can be difficult to predict and compare across devices. In this article, a plasma jet is operated over a range of conditions and characterized by using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and synchronized imaging. The effect of the operating conditions on the gas temperature, jet length, plasma formation, and reactive species produced is …

Oh Production And Jet Length Of An Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Jet For Soft And Biomaterial Treatment, Ryan P. Gott, Kunning G. Xu

PRC-Affiliated Research

Atmospheric-pressure plasma jets (APPJs) are currently being studied and developed for the biomedical, chemistry, and physics communities because of their ability to produce desirable reactive species at low temperatures and at atmospheric pressures. Due to the high particle densities, small scales, and nonequilibrium nature of these plasmas, they can be difficult to predict and compare across devices. In this article, a plasma jet is operated over a range of conditions and characterized by using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and synchronized imaging. The effect of the operating conditions on the gas temperature, jet length, plasma formation, and reactive species produced is …

Oh Production And Jet Length Of An Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Jet For Soft And Biomaterial Treatment, Ryan P. Gott, Kunning G. Xu

PRC-Affiliated Research

Atmospheric-pressure plasma jets (APPJs) are currently being studied and developed for the biomedical, chemistry, and physics communities because of their ability to produce desirable reactive species at low temperatures and at atmospheric pressures. Due to the high particle densities, small scales, and nonequilibrium nature of these plasmas, they can be difficult to predict and compare across devices. In this article, a plasma jet is operated over a range of conditions and characterized by using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and synchronized imaging. The effect of the operating conditions on the gas temperature, jet length, plasma formation, and reactive species produced is …

Modeling And Testing Powerplant Subsystems Of A Solar Uas, Luke J. Bughman

Master's Theses

In order to accurately conduct the preliminary and detailed design of solar powered Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the systems involved. In particular, it is desirable to have mathematical models and analysis tools describing the energy income and expenditure of the vehicle. Solar energy income models may include available solar irradiance, photovoltaic array power output, and maximum power point tracker efficiency. Energy expenditure models include battery charging and discharging characteristics, propulsion system efficiency, and aerodynamic efficiency. In this thesis, a series of mathematical models were developed that characterize the performance of these …

Seeded Hydrogen In Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (Ntp) Engines, Daria Nikitaeva

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of A Pulse-Recharge Circuit For Puff, Nathan Schilling

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

Keeping Your Library Relevant For Your Users- Engine Parts Petting Zoo, Gabriele Hysong

Midwest Business Librarian Summit (MBLS)

As corporate libraries are downsized or even closed how do information professionals keep their libraries relevant?

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 …

Prediction Of Noise Associated With An Isolated Uav Propeller, Samuel O. Afari

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The emergent field of interest in the Urban Air Mobility community is geared towards a world where aerial vehicles are commonplace. This poses the problem of the effects of the radiated noise. The present research presents an in-depth analysis of the noise generation mechanism of a propeller as a mode of propulsion of the said aerial vehicles. Numerical simulation utilizing a Hybrid Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) coupled with Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solver, is adopted on an isolated propeller modeled from the commercial DJI Phantom II 9450 propeller. The Spalart-Allmaras one equation turbulence model with rotation/curvature correction is used. The Farassat’s …

Propulsion System Testing For A Long-Endurance Solar-Powered Unmanned Aircraft, D. Dantsker, Robert Deters, Marco Caccamo

Publications

The increase in popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been driven by their use in civilian, education, government, and military applications. However, limited on-board energy storage significantly limits flight time and ultimately usability. The propulsion system plays a critical part in the overall energy consumption of the UAV; therefore, it is necessary to determine the most optimal combination of possible propulsion system components for a given mission profile, i.e. propellers, motors, and electronic speed controllers (ESC). Hundreds of options are available for the different components with little performance specifications available for most of them. In order to determine the …

An Investigation Of The Anomalous Thrust Capabilities Of The Electromagnetic Drive, Hannah J. Simons

Physics

The Electromagnetic Drive (EMDrive) is a propellant-less engine concept hypothesized by aero- space engineer Roger Shawyer. Shawyer’s proposed thruster technology is grounded on the theory of electromagnetic resonant behavior exhibited by a radiofrequency cavity, though the source of any generated thrust is undetermined by current physical laws. NASA Eagleworks Laboratories at John- son Space Center conducted a vacuum test campaign to investigate previously reported anomalous thrust capabilities of such a closed radiofrequency cavity, using a low-thrust torsion pendulum. The team published positive, although small-scaled thrust results in 2017. Following NASA Eagleworks breakthrough result and operating under the assumption that the …

Colloid Thruster To Teach Advance Electric Propulsion Techniques To Post-Secondary Students, Alexander M. Powaser

Master's Theses

Colloid thrusters, and electrospray thrusters as a whole, have been around since the 1960s. When they were first developed, the high efficiency and fine thrust control was overshadowed by the high power requirement for such a low thrust that the system provides. This caused the technology to be put on hold for aerospace applications. Now, as small satellites are becoming more prevalent, there has been a resurgence in interest in electrospray thruster technology. The recent advancements in tech- nology allow electrospray thrusters to use significantly less power and occupy less volume than their predecessors. As electrospray technology continues to advance, …

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 …

An Afternoon With General Thomas P. Stafford, Stafford Air & Space Museum

Programs

An Afternoon with General Thomas P. Stafford

Sunday, May 19th, 2019 at 2:00 P.M. at the Weatherford High School Performing Arts Center.

Unless stated otherwise within this repository collection, all materials are shared under the following Creative Commons license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License].

Apollo 10, 50th Anniversary Gala, Stafford Air & Space Museum

Programs

The Apollo 10 50th Anniversary Gala was held on May 18th, 2019 at the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma.

Unless stated otherwise within this repository collection, all materials are shared under the following Creative Commons license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License].

Optimal Battery Weight Fraction For Serial Hybrid Propulsion System In Aircraft Design, Tsz Him Yeung

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on electric propulsion technology associated with serial hybrid power plants most commonly associated with urban air mobility vehicles. While closed form analytical solutions for parallel hybrid aviation cases have been determined, optimized serial hybrid power plants have not seen the same degree of fidelity. Presented here are the analytical relationships between several preliminary aircraft design objectives and the battery weight fraction. These design objectives include aircraft weight, range, operation cost, and carbon emissions. The relationships are based on a serial hybrid electric propulsion architecture from an energy standpoint, and can be applied to hybrid aircraft of different …

Reconstruction Of Attenuated Hybrid Rocket Motor Chamber Pressure Signals Using Maximum Likelihood Estimation And Optimal Deconvolution, Evan M. Zelesnik

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Chamber pressure, as it develops during rocket combustion, strongly correlates with many of the internal motor ballistics, including combustion stability, fuel regression rate, and mass flow. Chamber pressure is also an essential measurement for calculating achieved thrust coefficient and characteristic velocity. Due to the combustion environment hostility, sensing chamber pressure with high-fidelity presents a difficult measurement problem, especially for solid and hybrid rocket systems where combustion by-products contain high amounts of carbon and other sooty materials. These contaminants tend to deposit within the pneumatic tubing used to transmit pressure oscillations from the thrust chamber to the sensing transducer. Partially clogged …