2022 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Regenerative cooling of graphite nozzle for hybrid rockets using nitrous oxide as oxidant
| Project/Area Number |
22F22757
|
|---|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Research Institution | Hokkaido University |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
永田 晴紀 北海道大学, 工学研究院, 教授 (40281787)
|
|---|
| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
GALLO GIUSEPPE 北海道大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 外国人特別研究員
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
2022-11-16 – 2025-03-31
|
| Keywords | Hybrid rocket / Nozzle erosion / Regenerative cooling |
|---|
| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
In the framework of the project, experimental and numerical apparatus have been developed for the study of the implementation of a regenerative cooling system in hybrid rocket engines for the nozzle erosion suppression. The investigators demonstrated in this first half year that this novel technology is possible and improves the performance of the propulsion system. Many experimental tests have been carried out and no nozzle erosion was observed in the tests, despite the considered configuration is extremely affected by this phenomenon when active cooling is not implemented. In addition, accurate numerical models have been developed for the study and the prediction of the motor operating conditions. These models give an insight in the multiphase physics occurring inside the cooling channels. These models allow the prediction of the nozzle temperature and hence, the occurrence of the nozzle erosion. Finally, the numerical results have been compared with the experimental ones in order to assess their validity. In this framework, two papers were obtained and submitted to two high quality Q1 journals.
|
| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
As written in the proposal, the investigation will be performed step-by-step. Currently, we have started with a safe oxidizer, such as liquid oxygen. These preliminary results allowed us to understand the capability of the current technology to suppress nozzle erosion. The numerical models are also in line with the current literature and a good assessment with the experimental was also found. Summing up, we can clearly state that our results are going as originally planned because: 1. Nozzle erosion was suppressed by the proposed technology; 2. The motor reliability is increased because the heat fluxes provided by the combustion chamber were self-handled by the motor.
|
| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
In the next future, we are going to use decomposing oxidizers, which may be hazardous in this kind of application. Indeed, when these oxidizers are heated, they can decompose leading to motor failure. For safety reasons, firstly the investigators will proceed with using 60% hydrogen peroxide, then the proposed oxidizer, which is nitrous oxide in a self-pressurized fashion. This final task will lead to two benefits to rocket science: the demonstration of the feasibility of using regenerative cooling in hybrid rocket engines (nothing is present in literature) and the further understanding of the nitrous oxide behaviour in heating environments, such as cooling channels.
|
