THE UNIVERSAL COMBUSTION DEVICE STABILITY (UCDS) PROCESS IS THE CULMINATION OF MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF RESEAR…

Public award description

THE UNIVERSAL COMBUSTION DEVICE STABILITY (UCDS) PROCESS IS THE CULMINATION OF MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF RESEARCH AND PROVIDES THE MEANS TO UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX DYNAMICS AND PROCESSES INSIDE ANY CHEMICAL PROPULSION SYSTEM, INCLUDING LIQUID ROCKETS, SOLID ROCKETS, HYBRID ROCKETS, TURBOJET COMBUSTORS AND AUGMENTORS, AND EVEN SCRAMJETS. IN ADDITION TO PREDICTING WHETHER A COMBUSTION CHAMBER WILL OSCILLATE AND HOW LARGE THE AMPLITUDE OF THE OSCILLATION WILL BE, UCDS PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO WHY A DEVICE OSCILLATES. WITH THIS TYPE UNDERSTANDING, IT IS POSSIBLE TO DESIGN FOR STABILITY IN ANY CHEMICAL ROCKET, TURBOJET OR SCRAMJET. GTL PROPOSES TO APPLY THE UCDSTM PROCESS TO CREATE A CLEAN-SHEET DESIGN FOR A NEW STABLE LIQUID ROCKET ENGINE THAT IS SUITABLE TO USE AS AN ASCENT ENGINE FOR ALTAIR. RATHER THAN STARTING WITH PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS OR HERITAGE CONSTRAINTS, GTL SHALL EXERCISE THE UCDS TOOLS TO ESTABLISH DETAILED INJECTOR DESIGN GUIDELINES THAT WILL ENSURE STABLE OPERATION. THIS WILL INCLUDE DEFINITION OF FUNCTIONS THAT DEFINE MASS INJECTION DISTRIBUTION, VAPORIZATION/ATOMIZATION PROFILE, HEAT RELEASE CHARACTERISTICS, FEED SYSTEM RESPONSE AND MANY OTHER PARAMETERS. BY FOLLOWING THESE REQUIREMENTS IN AN INJECTOR DESIGN, THE MECHANISMS THAT DRIVE OSCILLATIONS WILL BE MINIMIZED, WHILE THE DAMPING MECHANISMS ARE MAXIMIZED, THEREBY MAXIMIZING STABILITY MARGIN.