• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• v.y2005m4
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• pp.66-71
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• 2005

In this study the regression rate of hybrid rocket fuel has been investigated by two methods. First method is to use swirl injectors for enhancement of regression rate. And second method is the modification of the helical grain deriving improvement of combustion area and generating swirl flow. Tests have been done with PMMA and gaseous oxygen. In this paper the incline angle of the helical grain was varied to find the optimal condition to obtain the max regression rate for a given operational condition.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.573-580
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• 2021

Paraffin wax is attracting many attentions for promising solid fuel of hybrid rocket because of its higher regression than other fuels. However, even with paraffin fuel combustion, unsteady low-frequency oscillation of combustion pressure is still observed. And, this is related to the formation of liquid layer and the entrainment of fuel droplets entering the axial combustion gas flow. This study investigates the effect of additional combustion of fuel droplets on the occurrence of low-frequency combustion instability. On the other hand, the formation of fuel droplets depends on Weber Number (the ratio of the inertial force to the surface tension of the liquid) and Reynolds Number of the oxidizer flow. Therefore, a laboratory-scale hybrid rocket was used to monitor the occurrence of combustion instability while changing We number. A series of combustion tests were conducted to control We number by changing the oxidizer flow rate or adding LDPE (low density polyethylene) to base fuel. In the results, it was confirmed that there is a critical We number above which the low-frequency combustion instability occurs.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.339-347
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• 2022

The post chamber in hybrid rocket is installed to induce additional increase in combustion enthalpy by allowing continuous burning of the liquefied fuels. When paraffin wax fuel is used, unsteady pressure oscillations are observed only at the beginning of combustion. This study intends to investigate the effect of additional combustion of liquefied fuel droplets on the occurrence of unsteady pressure fluctuations. For this, the combustion in post-chamber was visualized and image analysis using POD(Proper Orthogonal Decomposition) technique was performed. In addition, the hypothesis was proposed on the occurrence of unsteady pressure oscillations by identifying the modes including the behavior of droplets through mode reconstruction. Conducting a series of combustion tests, the amount of liquefied fuel flowing into the post chamber and the generation of fuel droplets were controlled. Also, the changes in frequency characteristic of unsteady pressure oscillation were monitored. As a result, the unsteady pressure oscillations observed in paraffin wax combustion were the result of additional combustion of fuel droplets generated in the post chamber.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.503-506
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• 2009

In this study, we presented the results of static firing tests on the PE/LN2O hybrid rocket motor, which has a thrust of 650 kgf level. Through the early tests, we found that the combustion chamber pressure and the thrust were lower than design values because an actual oxidizer flow rate was less than that expected. In order to complement this result, the methods of decrease of nozzle throat and the increase of oxidizer mass flow rate were conducted in the next experiment, and we studied the combustion phenomena with the experimental results. Also we compared and analyzed a difference of combustion characteristics on scale effect. It show that a sub-scale motor regression rate was a little less than that of a lab-scale motor with the same oxidizer mass flux. Results of this study might be used as a basic data for development of hybrid sounding rocket.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2021

In hybrid rocket combustion, the oxidizer swirl injection is frequently used to stabilize the combustion as the rotational velocity component affects the boundary layer flow. However, as the swirl strength increases, a problem arises where the combustion performance changes too much. Thus, this study attempts to control the low frequency instability while minimizing the change in combustion performance by adapting attenuated swirl injection with fuel insert used in reference [7]. To this end, a series of experimental tests were performed by varying swirl intensity and the location of the fuel insert. In the tests, the occurrence of combustion instability and combustion performance were closely monitored. The results confirmed that combustion instability was successfully suppressed at the condition of the swirl angle 6 degree and the location of fuel insert 310 mm. And, the changes in combustion pressure, O/F ratio, and fuel regression rate were found as minimal compared to the baseline case. Also the results reconfirmed that the formation of positive coupling between two high frequency oscillations in 500 Hz band, combustion pressure(p') and heat release oscillation(q'), is the necessary and sufficient condition of the occurrence of low frequency instability.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.93-96
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• 2008

This study was performed for merge characteristic of Hybrid Rocket with multi-port. PE(Poly Ethylene) is fuel with 4 and 5 port grain and GOX(Gas Oxygen) is oxidizer. This study according to number of ports The multi-port grain merge with other grains during a combustion, then Hybrid Rocket performance is changed by change of a combustion area.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.256-259
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• 2007

In this paper, the combustion characteristics of hybrid rocket were studied with various port number of the cylindrical multi-port grain. For the regression rate case, as the port number increases, the both port regression rate and end-surface regression rate tend to increase. For the performance parameter case, as the port number increases, the O/F ratio tends to decreases and the specific impulse tends to increase.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.44 no.7
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• pp.585-592
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• 2016

Visualization was done by using $CH^*$ chemiluminescence images and PMT measurements in order to understand the origin of fluctuating pressure and chemical luminosity at about 500 Hz frequency even in stable combustion, which was observed in recent experimental tests, and to find the physical correlation leading to Low Frequency Instability(LFI) in terms of phase angle. In stable combustion, chemical reactions are distributed along the shear layer flow showing a negative coupling(about 180 degree in phase angle) with combustion pressure. However, phase difference is shifted to a positive coupling showing less than 90 degree in unstable case. Also a periodic change in the distribution of chemical reactions is observed along with local flame extinction and the appearance of big scale vortex flow. In the transition to LFI, local flame extinction and small vortex flow start to appear in a row. As seen in the bluff body wake in reactive flow, the periodic appearance of vortex flow seems to share the same physical process of BVK(Bernard Von Karman) instability generation. Thus, the appearance of local extinction in 500 Hz fluctuations is gradually amplified to complete extinctions of about 20 Hz, and it leads into LFI.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.47-58
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• 2020

In this study, a thrust modulation through oxidizer mass flow rate control and internal ballistic analysis based on Whitmore and Chandlers' models was conducted on a blow-down hybrid rocket using nitrous oxide. The tank pressure prediction considering mass flow rate control of the self-pressuring oxidizer was conducted, and the results showed good agreements with experimental results. In order to verify the internal ballistic analysis, a ground combustion test using a 500 N class hybrid rocket was conducted, and it was confirmed that the experimental results and the analytical results were quite consistent in the chamber pressure and thrust, thereby, a modeling technique capable of predicting the thrust modulation performance is proposed.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.1021-1027
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• 2018

Experimental studies have been conducted to verify that the positive coupling between pressure oscillation (p') and combustion oscillation (q') of high frequency range is a prerequisite for the initiation of low frequency instability in hybrid rocket combustion. The post-chamber length and combustion equivalence ratio were selected as critical parameters to control the phase difference between p' and q', and p' amplitude in relation to the suppression of LFI. In the results, even if the post-chamber length increases, the phase difference between p' and q' maintains below pi/2, which is a necessary condition for the LFI development, but the amplification of RI (Rayleigh index) was substantially decreased leading to a stable combustion. In addition, results confirmed that combustion stability is achieved by changing the momentary equivalence ratio and/or by suppressing the positive coupling status of p' and q'. Thus, the periodic amplification of RI was identified as the middle path of the mechanism of occurrence of LFI.