Session: 09-04-02: Fluid Mechanics, Aerospace, Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, and Energy Systems

Paper Number: 95172

95172 - Senior Capstone Design Research Project: Study of the Combustion of Paraffin-Based Fuels in Hybrid Propellant Rocket Engine 

Paraffine-based fuels such as paraffin, beeswax, and others are considered as an advanced fuels for Hybrid Propellant Rocket Engine (HPRE) because they have low temperatures of melting and evaporation, high values of regression rates, high heating value, and can produce a considerable mass flow rate of combustion products. Since these fuels are high-molecular organic compounds of carbon and hydrogen (for instance, general chemical formula of paraffine wax is C_nH_2n+2), their thermodynamic parameters are not inferior to conventional HPRE fuels.                                                                                  Starting from 2010, engineering students perform long-term experimental study of the combustion of pure paraffine-based fuels and paraffine-based fuels enriched by aluminum powder in the frameworks of engineering senior capstone design projects.  Test fixture, consisted from unique lab-scale HPRE, oxygen supply system, propane supply system, flow control systems, ignition system, instrumentation system and data acquisition system based on National Instruments hardware and software, was designed and built. More than 130 experiments were performed aimed to study combustion of bio-derived fuels and obtain regression rate formulas (rates of the burnout of solid fuel perpendicular to the surface of fuel grain) which is essential for the calculation of HPRE thrust and specific impulse. The experiments were performed in the wide range of the equivalence ratio from 0.5 to 1.5 (ratio of real oxidizer to fuel ratio to the stoichiometric one) by variation of the diameter of solid propellant grain port and flow rate of gaseous oxygen. Thermodynamic calculations of the combustion of paraffine-based fuels were performed using commercial Chemical Workbench software. Dozens of regression rate formulas were obtained based on the performed experiments and calculation of the thermodynamics of combustion of paraffine based fuels. Student-faculty team found out experimentally and simulated theoretically a considerable loss of unburned paraffine-based fuels and estimated the influence of these losses on the regression rates. Novel technology of fabrication of solid propellant grains was proposed and successfully implemented. New method of the experimental-theoretical estimation of the temperature of the combustion products in the engine combustion chamber through the measurement of the temperature of combustion products in the exhaust plume was developed and implemented.                                                                      Performing this multidisciplinary challenging project student teams faced with a variety of problems and successfully resolved them. HPRE project provided mechanical engineering students with excellent opportunity to apply their knowledge, skills, and experience from a variety of courses to the real-life design and research. The analysis of student opinion about HPRE senior capstone design project and student’s evaluation of the project outcomes on a scale of 1 to 4 was performing repeatedly starting from 2010. Every year all learning outcomes were evaluated by students in the 3.5 to 4.0 range. Student opinion shows that  project requires deep knowledge of the majority of mechanical engineering courses, provides senior students with excellent opportunity to work in a team, develops engineering, research, managerial and communication skills, gives students great experience in the application of  their knowledge to engineering and scientific real-world problems.

Presenting Author: Viatcheslav Naoumov Central Connecticut State University

Presenting Author Biography: Viatcheslav I. Naoumov, Ph.D., Dr.Sc., <br/>Professor, Department of Engineering, School of Engineering, Science and Technology, Central Connecticut State University (CCSU),<br/>New Britain, CT.<br/> <br/>Dr.Sc., Aerospace Engineering, Kazan State Technical University, Kazan, Russia, 1994;<br/>Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, Kazan Aviation Institute, Kazan, Russia, 1981;<br/>MS, Aerospace Engineering, Kazan Aviation Institute, Kazan, Russia, 1976;<br/>BS, Aerospace Engineering, Kazan Aviation Institute, Kazan, Russia, 1974.<br/><br/>Distinguished Scientist of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan; “Soros Associate Professor” - awarded by Jorge Soros Foundation; 2018 Distinguished Engineer of the State of Connecticut.<br/><br/>Research and teaching Interests: Aerothermodynamics; Chemical Kinetics; Combustion Analysis; Reactive Fluid Systems; Thermo-chemical Non-equilibrium Flows; Rocket and Aircraft Propulsion; Internal Combustion Engines; Thermal/Fluid Systems; Numerical Simulation of Combustion and Flow; Micro-scale Investigation of Thermo-Fluid Transport and Chemical Non-Equilibrium Behavior in the Boundary Layers.<br/><br/>Grants: About 70 contracts and grants from Russian and French Aerospace Agencies, SAAB (Sweden), DOE, DOD, Russian Ministry of Education, Tennessee Space Grant Consortium, Connecticut Space Grant Consortium, CSU AAUP, CCSU, CCSU School of Engineering, Science and Technology.<br/><br/>Publications (USA and Russia): 4 monographs and more than 130 referred publications, research contractor reports and patents, including 45 referred publications published in USA.

Authors:

Viatcheslav Naoumov Central Connecticut State University
Nidal Al-Masoud Central Connecticut State University
Mohammad Mahjoob Central Connecticut State University