Lightweight Liquid Target Booster Thrust Chamber Assembly

MDA is interested in the development of hydrogen peroxide/hydrocarbon engines for liquid target vehicles. A large reduction in engine weight (~75%) and technical risk are possible by eliminating the large catalyst beds that decompose the hydrogen peroxide before it enters the combustion chamber, providing temperatures that are sufficient for fuel autoignition. A Fastrack Phase II proposal to develop a flight-weight torch igniter design, that uses hydrogen peroxide and hydrocarbons, for a 70,000-lbf thrust liquid target booster engine is provided here. Design requirements will be flowed down from a notional booster engine design during a system requirements review task undertaken in conjunction with Northrop Grumman Space Technology. An existing test facility will be modified for a set of ignition verification tests and igniter optimization tests in a 10,000-lbf thrust subscale thrust chamber. Verification tests will substantiate igniter flowrate and igniter placement by measuring ignition delay in short duration tests using a low-cost expendable chamber. Optimal igniter design and thermal, stability, and performance characteristics will be determined in long-duration runs in an instrumented heat sink chamber. Finally, these data will be used as a basis for the detailed design of a flightweight torch ignition system for the 70,000-lbf thrust engine.