Propulsion and Power Commons^™

The Regeneratively Cooled Engine Development (R.E.D.) Project, Joseph Traverso, Sharjeel Malik, Ford Catlin

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Experimental Rocket Propulsion Lab (ERPL) is a student-run organization dedicated to designing, building, and testing experimental rocket engines. With ERPL transitioning toward flight vehicles, developing engines with longer burn times is critical to future club success. One limitation to burn time is an engine’s ability to withstand extreme combustion temperatures, typically in excess of 5000 F. ERPL engines have found success with passive cooling techniques such as ablative, heatsink, and film cooling, but these techniques aren’t suitable for extended burn times. Therefore, ERPL has created the Regeneratively cooled Engine Development (R.E.D) project, with the objective to design, analyze, and …

Zfq-50 "Radiance", Craig Slovensky, Michael Rath Iii, Kyan Spaete, Long P. Nguyen, Woo Hyun Lee, Roman Czerniejewski

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project presents the preliminary design of the ZFQ-50 "Radiance", a Collaborative Unmanned Vehicle (CUV) built around the VerdeGo VH-5 blended turbofan intended for military defense applications. This design presents a novel aircraft coupled with a powerplant that blends traditional combustion thrust with electrical power output, an new and evolving capability within the aerospace industry. This aircraft was sized considering multiple constraint parameters, configuration trade studies, CFD analysis, and mission requirements including carrier assisted take-off and landing, an effective operational range, and a loiter period with 40 kW of continuous power output from the powerplant. The selected configuration allows for …

Preliminary Jetpack Design For Air, Space, And Sea Applications, Andrew Thummel

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This course work is intended as an exploratory engineering and design program dedicated to the building and testing of an underwater jetpack design, using dynamic similarity principles to extrapolate how tested results and performance in an underwater environment transition to airborne or zero gravity testing. By testing underwater, it is estimated that the design will attain a Reynolds number in the range of 8 to 10 million, creating novel qualitative research on how a blended wing body jetpack design built at human scale performs and handles in extremely turbulent and high Reynolds number flows.

Satellite Autonomous Launch Assembly (Satlass), Anthony Todisco, Jaden Caradine, Justin Della, Essence Howard, Andrew Hawks, Alexander Kushto, Colin Mccaughey, Javier Narvaez, Frányerson R. López Ochoa, Diana Tormo

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Satellite Autonomous Launch Assembly (SATLASS) is a Cube Satellite deployer whose development falls under the Embry-Riddle Orbital Research Association (ERORA), an organization focusing on CubeSat technology development. Project SATLASS provides hands-on experience in spacecraft subsystem development, including propulsion design, instrumentation, applied structural analysis, and experimental testing. The current objectives of this research are to map pressure changes throughout a high-pressure feed system, evaluate the pressure and velocity response of nitrogen gas after solenoid valve actuation, and determine the most effective nozzle geometry through direct thrust measurements. A static propulsion test stand was designed and fabricated to house a high-pressure …

Turbine Aerodynamics And Performance Characterization, Anuranan Bharadwaj, Kalkamanali Satvaldy, Vincent Shi

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This research presents an integrated study combining computational modeling and experimental validation to enhance the design and performance characterization of small-scale turbine systems. The theoretical component focuses on developing an object-oriented Python code for the preliminary design and performance prediction of radial turbines, capable of generating velocity triangles, thermodynamic properties, and geometric parameters from user-defined inputs. The tool employs Whitfield-based correlations and fundamental gas-dynamic relations to estimate exit flow parameters, work ratio, and efficiency, offering flexibility for expansion into geometry export and CAD integration.   Complementing the computational model, the experimental component aims to improve the aerodynamic testing capabilities of the …

Magnesium-Enhanced Methane: A Novel Metalized Fuel For Mars Return Missions And Next-Generation Propulsion Systems, Kinga Wysocka

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This research investigates magnesium-enhanced methane as a novel metalized fuel concept for high-performance, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU)-compatible rocket propulsion. While methane is a leading candidate for Mars missions due to its producibility via the Sabatier process, its combustion performance is limited by the high activation energy of the initial C–H bond (~4 eV). To address this limitation, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to analyze methane and hydrogen interactions with a Mg(0001) surface. A converged slab model (3×3×4 and 3×3×5) was validated with energy differences below 1 meV per atom for k-point sampling and ~13.99 meV per atom for …

Experimental Manufacturing Optimization Of 3d-Printed Ducted Fans, Stanlie Cerda-Cruz

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This study aims to assess the efficiency gains, feasibility, and practicality of 3D printing fan and ducts with pre and post processing techniques. With the rapid expansion of MAV use; labs, students, hobbyists, can benefit from manufacturing Electric Ducted Fans (EDFs), both fans and ducts, in-house rather than purchasing traditional propellers. There are several advantages of utilizing EDFs, as they can minimize wing tip vortices, reduce wake contraction, and induce a duct lip Coanda effect which all lead to an increased system efficiency. However, EDF implementation in MAV's remain largely unexplored due to the difficulty of development and the production …

Multi-Dimensional Particle-In-Cell With Monte Carlo Collisions (Pic-Mcc) Simulation For Visualizing Plasma Flow And Secondary Ionization In Constricted-Anode Geometries, Parth Thakar

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Constricted-anode plasma sources generate locally intensified electric fields that enhance ionization near the anode, making them valuable in propulsion and laboratory plasma systems. However, the narrow geometry produces complex charge accumulation and secondary ionization effects that remain difficult to measure experimentally. To address this challenge, our research develops and applies a multi-dimensional Particle-in-Cell with Monte Carlo Collisions (PIC-MCC) simulation of a DC discharge in 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D configurations that model a constricted-anode device. PIC-MCC is a first-principles method that tracks electrons and ions individually while computing self-consistent electric fields and incorporating energy-dependent collision processes. This approach enables direct visualization …

Effect Of Anode Size On The Properties Of Constricted Hollow Anode Pulsed Plasma Source, Nirav Patel, Garret Seckinger

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

With the advent of ion thrusters, burns requiring large velocity changes can be performed with a fraction of the propellant required by traditional chemical rocket engines. However, current ion thrusters produce thrust in the order of millinewtons and thus cannot be viable for launching vehicles or burns requiring velocity changes in a small amount of time. Furthermore, current ion thrusters experience grid and component erosion, where the two grids at the termination of the nozzle slowly erode due to particle impact, and the hot electrodes degrade due to high thermal load. This limits the life of ion engines, which require …

Optimization Of Engine, Jordan Reed, Dev Shah

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

A matrix-based framework for modeling and optimizing fluid and gas in feed systems to pressurize for propulsion applications using advanced linear algebra techniques will be used in this project. The governing equations are derived from conservation of mass, momentum, and energy and are formulated in state space form. This enables the system to be expressed as a set of coupled linear differential equations. These equations are assembled into structured system matrices that show the interactions between pressure, flow rate, and component dynamics. This representation allows for numerical implementation and scalability to complex systems with multiple components. System behavior is analyzed …

Modeling Seiche Oscillations Using Damped Vibration Differential Equations, Sharjeel Malik, Justin Della

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Combustion instability in liquid rocket engines is driven by coupling acoustic pressure oscillations and unsteady heat release. To achieve specific desired outcomes, small perturbations can be made to either decay or grow, depending on system dynamics and artificial parameters. Using a linearized eigenvalue framework, where eigenvalues determine growth/decay rates and frequencies, and eigenvectors describe spatial mode shapes and couplings between pressure, velocity, and heat release, a mathematical model can be derived to describe said behavior for a cross-section of the rocket engine. The Rayleigh criterion is used to identify conditions under which energy is added to oscillations, while flame transfer …

Navier Stokes Pressure Drop Derivation, Brayden Benedetti, Gedaliah Dimbert, Jaden Turobiner

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Accurate prediction of pressure losses in propellant and fluid feed systems is essential for reliable design and operation of aerospace and industrial flow networks. This project presents a systematic derivation of a practical pressure drop calculator for a feed system using isopropyl alcohol, beginning from the fundamental conservation laws and culminating in an engineering-level computational model. Starting with the differential form of the Navier–Stokes equations for incompressible flow, the governing equations are simplified through a series of physically justified assumptions, including steady-state flow, negligible body forces, and fully developed internal flow within circular piping. The resulting momentum balance is reduced …

Development Of A Liquid Propellant Rocket Engine With Integrated Water-Based Cooling Jacket, Mauricio Bautista, Jesus Cortes, Christian Lopez, Hugo Robles, Will Owens, Josh Sutton, Jayden Pace, Shelby Enlow

Create@State

This projects describes the development of a liquid rocket engine with a metal casted cooling jacket. We test the system and provide simulation data for the project.

Conceptual Exploration Of Film Cooling Techniques In Hydrogen Gas Turbines, Wen Wu

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

Film cooling is a key heat transfer technique that protects gas turbine blades from extreme temperatures, allowing higher turbine inlet temperatures and greater thermal efficiency. It works by ejecting a thin layer of cooler air from the compressor through small holes onto the hot surface, creating a protective film layer that lowers surface temperature and reduces thermal stress on blades. This process is vital in power generation and propulsion systems that operate near material limits. With growing emphasis on sustainability, film cooling has gained new importance in hydrogen-fueled gas turbines. Hydrogen combustion creates water vaper and low-density exhaust gases, which …

Aura Aero, A Perspective On Sustainability And Resilience, Mattia Padulo

Sustainability Conference

Since its foundation, AURA AERO has committed to tackle aviation related environmental impacts, through an incremental industrial approach that has allowed the company to become the first fully fledged aircraft manufacturer among the new players in the field of Advanced Air Mobility. AURA AERO product policy has been gradually shaped to scale-up towards bigger, smarter, greener products, and is now enriched by unmanned technologies, as an adaptation to newer societal demands induced by the current geopolitical context. The presentation will give an update on the latest company and product developments, and particularly those related to the INTEGRAL E - the …

Methodologies And Applications Of Precision Shot Peening To Hole Or Slot Geometry, James C. Hoffman

15th International Conference on Shot Peening

Shot peening, a commonly used method of fatigue and surface enhancement, is a critical process in many of the components in the aerospace industry. When it comes to small holes and/or slot geometries in these components, the process can become a challenge when these features are smaller than a conventional size Almen strip. In these cases, a decision must be made about how to process this type of geometry. Oftentimes, the method to apply the shot peen process is already defined in a process specification or part print so we must adhere to that method. If a method is not …

Improving Fatigue Strength And Life Of Single Crystal Cmsx-4, Jochen Peter Fuhr, Lloyd Hackel, Nicolau I. Morar, Noah Holtham, Keivan Davami, Montu Sharma, Rajkumar Roy

15th International Conference on Shot Peening

The deep penetration of laser peening (LP) and retention of residual stress at high temperature by LP is significant in improving fatigue life and strength of superalloys exposed to high temperature and corrosion. Single crystal CMSX-4, was evaluated for stress relaxation and both fatigue life and fatigue strength of material that was LP-treated compared to non-LP and shot-peened (SP) specimens. LP was done with multiple layers using a 20 J/pulse laser where the laser high energy enabled using a 5 mm spot size on the metal surface. Stress measurements by the slitting technique showed the plastic penetration depth exceeded SP …

A Pressure-Based Estimate Of Multi-Orifice Synthetic Jet Performance, Rhett Parry

Student Research Symposium

Synthetic Jets

• Zero-Net Mass Flux
• Wide voltage and frequency response
• Trends with physical and nondimensional parameters

Design Of A Safe And Sustainable Airplane For Future, Henil Patel, Carlie Vogt, Matthew Talty, Jemimah Davies, Kyle Smothers, Mellisa Pritchet

Sustainability Conference

As a part of Airplane Preliminary Design course, this Design Note estimates the capabilities, performance, and stability behaviors of our conceptual airplane design, Boeing 7S7 – Sanctum prior to proceeding to the preliminary stage. This aircraft seeks to create a solution to achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2050 and increasing the safety measures. The design of this aircraft uses various analytical methods such as the DAPCA IV model, other methods were derived from design books. This design involved the use of software such as CATIA, VSP, SURFACES, Microsoft Excel, and Python. Results demonstrates that this aircraft is able to fly …

Unleaded Fuel For General Aviation, Carolina Anderson, Laura Garcia

Sustainability Conference

The Clean Air Act, passed in the late 1970s, mandating the removal of lead from most fuels due its detrimental effects on public health, yet piston-driven aircraft continue to rely on leaded aviation gas (AvGas 100LL). This fuel remains the last lead-containing fuel regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT). Lead, added as tetraethyl lead (TEL), enhances octane levels and prevents engine detonation, vital for high-compression aircraft engines. In response to the health effects, regulating bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have tightened lead standards and are assessing the risk posed by AvGas. Research links even low-level lead exposure …

Kwad - Ksu All Weather Autonomous Drone, Nick Farinacci, Sebastian Gomez, Stewart Baker, Ed Sheridan

Symposium of Student Scholars

"KWAD" or "KSU all-Weather Autonomous Drone" project was sponsored by Ultool, LLC to the KSU Research and Service Foundation to create a lightweight drone capable of capturing HD video during all-weather operations. The conditions of all-weather operation include rainfall of one inch per hour and wind speeds of up to twenty miles per hour. In addition, a global minimum structural safety factor of two is required to ensure the system's integrity in extreme weather conditions. Potential mission profiles include autonomous aerial delivery, topological mapping in high moisture areas, security surveillance, search and rescue operations, emergency transportation of medical supplies, and …

Crazyflie 2.1 Quadcopter Nonlinear System Identification, Nhat V. Nguyen, Hope Storro, John Plimpton

2023 Symposium

Quadcopters (quad) are used widely in many industries with crucial applications such as infrastructure inspection or package delivery. The Crazyflie 2.1 quad from Bitcraze provides an excellent platform for research and development. In this project, our goal is to perform system identification on the Crazyflie to propose a complete model. A gray box method is explored, which includes leveraging the parameters that are already known, to develop a set of equations. Through theory, simulations, and measurements, a complete quadcopter model is developed.

Blade Optimization For Ground Level Low Speed Wind Turbines, Ryan Foster

Symposium of Student Scholars

Low speed wind turbines can provide inexpensive and clean energy in areas where large scale wind power generation is impractical. The purpose of this research is to explore factors that affect the efficiency of low speed wind turbine blades. The factors that were tested include angle of attack, angle of twist, chord length, average thickness, span, and taper ratio. The goal is to determine a combination of these variables to enable maximum power extraction from a low wind speed source. These blade parameters are optimized for the Southeastern region of the United States. NOAA weather data at ground level are …

Perfromance Improvement Of High Bypass Turbofan Engine Through Optimization Of High-Pressure Compressor Blade – A Case Study, Vlad Mandzyuk

Symposium of Student Scholars

This research determines the relation between the High-Pressure Compressor (HPC) blade characteristics, compressor pressure ratio, and lift-to-drag ratio of a high bypass turbofan engine. Alterations in the HPC blades airfoil, span, chord, taper ratio, twist, aspect ratio, sweep, and angle of incidence are performed and their effect on the engine’s performance is observed. The metrics used to compare engine performance include thrust, specific thrust, exit velocity, fuel/air ratio, power, and efficiency. Parametric cycle analysis and computational fluid dynamics are performed to compare and validate findings. The goal of this study is to optimize the design of HPC to maximize the …

Project Alien, Rebecca Mccallin, Madelyn Hoying, Alex Evans, Matthew Nestler, Karli Rae Sutton, Garett Craig, Lucia Secaia Del Cid, Alexander Guy, Rachel Fernandez, Amanda Trusiak, Paige Aley, Ingabire Gakwerere, Nina Dorfner, Maria Mosbacher, Mary Flavin, Selvin Hernandez, Audrey Steen, Benjamin Kazimer

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Project ALIEN is a comprehensive plan to send humans to Mars to look for life on the Martian surface while exploring the viability and adaptability of terrestrial microbes in Martian atmospheric conditions. ALIEN will use a ballistic capture trajectory to get to Mars and stay in aerostationary orbit for a 30-day surface mission, during which two surface crewmembers will perform a variety of experiments to achieve the mission’s goals of Martian microbial discovery within brines of the Gale Crater and terrestrial microbe adaptability and viability to Martian conditions. Experimentation is based on the presumption that Martian microbes are metabolically similar …

Arizona Hyperloop: The Fifth Mode Of Transportation, Eleanor Pahl, Matthieu Rada

Discovery Day - Prescott

Arizona Hyperloop is a coalition between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Arizona State University students competing in Elon Musk’s annual SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. Hyperloop is the proposed “Fifth Mode of Transportation” - coined “a cross between a Concorde, a rail gun, and an air hockey table.” A hyperloop pod levitates and travels at nearly the speed of sound inside a vacuum tube, which eliminates air resistance. Musk hosts the annual competition to university students to encourage the evolution of urban transportation. The goal is to design, build, and race the fastest prototype pod at SpaceX’s mile-long test track in Hawthorne, …

Sae Aero West Heavy Lift Competition Team - Eaglenautics, Anthony Pirone, Evan Stuart, Jessica Millard, Nathaniel Scott

Discovery Day - Prescott

ERAU’s SAE Aero Design West Competition team encourages students of all majors who have an interest in the design of heavy-lift cargo and passenger aircraft to design, build, and fly a large RC aircraft to meet a new set of regulations each competition year. Since the team, Eaglenautics, was founded in 2017 it has successfully been to competition once in April 2019 in California. The team’s aircraft flew 4 out of 5 flight rounds, passed all technical inspections, and is now on display in ERAU’s Aero-Fab in the AXFAB. The 2020 competition requirements are unique in that the cargo’s weight-to-volume …

Launch Vehicle Design For The Far-Mars Competition, Matthew Boban, Bryce Smoldon, Jonathan Noble, Stefan Johnson, Maxwell Kauker, Nicholas Wright, Andrew Lucka

Discovery Day - Prescott

Zenith Propulsion is constructing a launch vehicle, named Altair, to compete in a competition hosted by the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) and the Mars Society. The objective for Zenith Propulsion is to design, build and launch Altair to a qualifying altitude of 30,000 feet in the FAR-Mars competition. Altair will utilize a rocket engine that has been in development at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott campus since late 2018. This engine, named Janus, uses liquid oxygen and Jet-A and is designed to deliver 1000 lbf of thrust. Altair will be launched from the FAR launch site, in Mojave, CA, on …

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?

End To End Satellite Servicing And Space Debris Management, Aman Chandra, Himangshu Kalita, Roberto Furfaro, Jekan Thanga

Space Traffic Management Conference

There is growing demand for satellite swarms and constellations for global positioning, remote sensing and relay communication in higher LEO orbits. This will result in many obsolete, damaged and abandoned satellites that will remain on-orbit beyond 25 years. These abandoned satellites and space debris maybe economically valuable orbital real-estate and resources that can be reused, repaired or upgraded for future use. Space traffic management is critical to repair damaged satellites, divert satellites into warehouse orbits and effectively deorbit satellites and space debris that are beyond repair and salvage. Current methods for on-orbit capture, servicing and repair require a large service …