College
College of Engineering and Polymer Science
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-06 09:07:10
Major
Mechanical Engineering
Honors Course
MECE: 461-002
Number of Credits
4
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2023
Abstract
An additively manufactured (AM) liquid rocket engine, consisting of an injector, combustion chamber, and nozzle, was designed and printed using state-of-the-art methods and materials. The parts were manufactured using laser powder bed fusion. Additive manufacturing allowed for complex geometries and features, such as printing manifolds onto the components with a reduced number of parts. Additive, regenerative cooling channels were designed into the chamber and nozzle to allow for long-duration steady-state operation.
The feed system for the engine was designed and built to allow for pressure-regulated and steady-state testing. Tanks for the fuel and oxidizer were designed and built for a maximum 15 second test duration. A purging system was developed to keep the propellant lines clean and aid in engine shutdowns. A testing campaign was designed and conducted for characterization of this engine, including proof, water flow, cold flow, and hot fire testing. Issues with ignition were experienced and ultimately three hot fire tests were achieved for a total duration of ~14.5 seconds. This project shows that additive manufacturing can simplify many of the complicated and expensive operations when designing and building a liquid rocket engine, lowering the barrier to entry to the space industry.
Research Sponsor
Dr. Manigandan Kannan
First Reader
Thomas Teasley
Second Reader
Dr. Guo-Xiang Wang
Honors Faculty Advisor
Dr. Dane Quinn
Proprietary and/or Confidential Information
No
Recommended Citation
Petty, Dillon and Zimmerli, Nicole, "Development of a Regeneratively Cooled Liquid Rocket Engine" (2023). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1720.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1720