T-870-INTE MjölnirFuel and nozzle team

Milestone presentationInstructor: Joe Foley

Students: Ingi Mar Jónsson, Jóhannes E. ValbergSverrir Haraldsson

Department of Science and Engineering(TVD)

Reykjavík UniversityFebruary 7, 2014

● Introduction

● Rocket design fundamentals

● Requirements

● Rocket Motor selection

● Software and simulations

● The Development Process

● Experiments and future tests

Overview of the Talk

● Status

● Next steps

Introduction

● Determine design parameters○ Chamber pressure○ Nozzle throat outlet ratio○ Diameter and rocket length

● Determine fuel type○ Background research○ Comparison

● Simulations○ Mathematical○ Software

http://thinkpurpose.com/2013/01/07/its-not-rocket-science-2/

Requirements

● Safety at all times (fuel handling, launch tactics and more)

● Able to carry ~4 kg payload

● Ultimate goal of reaching altitude of 20+ km○ Supersonic/Hypersonic speeds

● Stable flight pattern (pitch, yaw) (stability)○ Center of gravity placed within 3 - 5 x diameter of rocket total center of

area.

● ...and all the other things that we cannot think of!

Hybrid rocket motors

● Liquid or Gaseous oxidizer in separated chamber○ LOX, N2O4, N2O, ClO2 …..

● Solid fuel grain in separated chamber○ HTPB, HTPB/Al, PMMA, PE, UHMW, Other Polymers

● Burns when oxidizer is injected into fuel grain chamber and ignited, applying thrust optimized by nozzle

● MR ratio ~0,35Picture:http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Rockets/Looking-Closer/Types-of-chemical-rocket-engines

Solid rocket motors

● Oxidizer and fuel mixed together in single chamber forming solid fuel grain

● Oxidizers○ NH4ClO4 (Ammonium perchlorate), KClO4 (Potassium perchlorate),

NH4NO3 (Ammonium nitrate), KNO3 (Potassium nitrate), NaClO4 (Sodium perchlorate)

● Fuel, often consisting of plasticizer, binder & catalysts○ HTPB, HTPB/Al, PMMA, PEG, PCP, HTPE, PBAN, PBAA, CTPB

…..

● The solid fuel grain burns when ignition charge is activated, applying thrust optimized by nozzle

● MR ratio 0,20 Picture:http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Rockets/Looking-Closer/Types-of-chemical-rocket-engines

Comparison

● The Hybrid Motor

● The Solid Fuel Motor

➔ Downs◆ Bad fuel/weight ratio◆ Complex design◆ Medium performance◆ Expensive motor design

➔ Ups◆ Oxidizer available locally◆ Non hazardous materials◆ Easy fuel grain production◆ Many fuel sources available◆ High efficiency

➔ Ups◆ High performance capabilities◆ Simple design◆ Good fuel/weight ratio◆ Few parts◆ Cheap motor design

➔ Downs◆ Medium efficiency ◆ Explosive materials◆ Bad availability of fuel and

oxidizer materials

● Ideal for stability, performance and overall design and flight simulations

● Easy to use and quick parameter alterations ● Saves calculation efforts, time and money● Accurate tool for motor performance analysis

and flight simulations prior to tests● Cheap software license availability for academic

use● Returns organized data for design comparison

analysis

Design software and simulators

Design software and simulators

EES; Fuel performance calculations for key design parameters

Design software and simulators

BurnSim 3; Motor & Nozzle simulation software

Design software and simulators

SpaceCAD 5 / RockSim9; Flight & stability simulation software

Development Process

Suggested experiments and future tests

● Conduct scaled motor test for ideal fuel types and compositions

● Gather real performance data for theoretical comparison and get hands on experience

Status

● Problem with fuel vendors○ Hesitant to sell foreign clients ○ Restricting exportation laws○ No domestic vendors

● Mathematical and software simulations○ Estimating design parameters○ Optimizing geometry○ Learning to use simulation software

● Chemical transportation solved○ Agreement with Eimskip

Next steps

● Finalize all aspects of the engine performance and rocket design geometry (2014.28.02)○ Use of simulation software

● Import rocket fuel to be used (2014.xx.xx)

● Cost estimation for fuel ingredients, software licence and motor materials ( 2014.28.02)

● Engine experiment and test (2014.xx.xx)○ reavaluate design parameters and fuel/engine choices

References

[1]

End of presentation

Thank you

QUESTIONS?