An investigation of liquefying hybrid rocket fuels with applications to solar system exploration
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Developments in hybrid propulsion technology over the past several decades have made these motors attractive candidates for a variety of applications. In the past, they have been overlooked due to the low regression rate of classical hybrid fuels or in favor of the heritage and commercial availability of liquid or solid propulsion systems. The slow burning rate translates into either a reduced thrust level or the requirement for a complicated, multi-port fuel grain to increase the available burning surface area. These major disadvantages can be mitigated through the use of liquefying hybrid fuels, such as paraffin. Typically, this increase is enough to achieve desired thrust levels with a simple, single port design. Benefits unique to the paraffin-based hybrid design makes it a competitive and viable option for solar system exploration missions. Two specific examples are included to illustrate the advantages of hybrids for solar system exploration. A hybrid design for a Mars Ascent Vehicle as part of a sample return campaign takes advantage of paraffin's tolerance to low and variable temperatures. Hybrid propulsion systems are well suited for planetary orbit insertion because of their ability to throttle, stop and restart at high thrust levels. The high regression rates of liquefying hybrid fuels are due to a fuel entrainment mass transfer mechanism. The design, assembly and results of an experiment to visualize this mechanism are presented. A combustion chamber with three windows allows visual access to the combustion process. A flow conditioning system is employed to create a uniform oxidizer flow at the entrance to the combustion chamber. Experimental visualization of entrainment mass transfer will enable the improvement of combustion models and therefore future hybrid designs.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2012 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Chandler, Ashley Anne |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics |
| Primary advisor | Cantwell, Brian |
| Thesis advisor | Cantwell, Brian |
| Thesis advisor | Alonso, Juan José, 1968- |
| Thesis advisor | Christensen, R. M. (Richard M.) |
| Thesis advisor | Hubbard, Scott, 1948- |
| Advisor | Alonso, Juan José, 1968- |
| Advisor | Christensen, R. M. (Richard M.) |
| Advisor | Hubbard, Scott, 1948- |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Ashley Anne Chandler. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. |
| Thesis | Ph.D. Stanford University 2012 |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2012 by Ashley Anne Chandler
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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