Propulsion Project List
PR1: Thrust Chamber
Description
The thrust chamber is where the magic (combustion and then thrust) happens! The thrust chamber houses the nozzle which generates the thrust of the rocket and propels it into the air. This chamber is mainly composed of: a casing, liner, nozzle, middle connector and spacers (top graphite spacer and post combustion chamber spacer).
Note that the injector is part of a different project! In this hybrid rocket thrust chamber, the liquid oxidizer is sprayed into the combustion chamber through the injector and ignites and burns with the fuel. After mixing in the front spacer and post combustion chamber, the combustion flow goes through the nozzle and generates thrust.
This year, we are also introducing a bench scale system to conduct small-scale hotfire tests, which involve firing our thrust chamber while secured to the ground to collect experimental data without the engine taking off. The bench scale setup will enable us to test smaller thrust chamber components safely while using less oxidizer. Unlike a full-scale hotfire at our test site, which can take about a day to complete, a bench-scale hotfire can be done in about 90 minutes!
By joining the Thrust Chamber and Bench Scale project, you’ll learn how to CAD, design components, and perform simulations (using Finite Element Analysis and/or Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and/or Heat Transfer Analysis). You will also get the opportunity to attend hotfires at our test site and bench scale tests! No previous experience is necessary.
PR2: Oxidizer Tank & Pressurant Feed System
Description
An integral part of the propulsion system is the oxidizer tank and related pressure feed system, which store the nitrous oxide propellant and feeds it to the combustion chamber in the first few seconds of flight. For a higher apogee, the tank has to be bigger to hold a lot more oxidizer for increased thrust and an extended burn time. It also has to maintain a constant pressure via a pressurization system for better performance. By feeding an inert gas (nitrogen) into our oxidizer tank, we can raise the tank pressure to a predetermined value used in our simulations. This enables a more consistent injection flow rate into the combustion chamber which is crucial for a stable thrust.
You’ll be part of the research and development of two pressurization systems investigated this year. This includes:
Initial (ullage) pressurization: Feeding nitrogen into the tank before takeoff to raise the tank pressure to a predetermined value used in the simulations
Constant pressurization: Feeding nitrogen into the tank continuously during the flight to maintain constant pressure
By joining this project, you’ll have the opportunity to do two things:
Be a part of the design process of this massive tank and pressurization system during the design phase using softwares such as computer-aided design (CAD), modeling and numerical validation
Be a part of the testing process for safety testing and propulsion testing at the MRT test site. (It is so much fun!)
You don't need any experience, just a willingness to learn and get your hands dirty!
PR3: Injector
Description
If you have read all the project descriptions, you’ll be able to tell by now that the McGill Rocket Team builds hybrid rockets. This means propellants are stored separately in both solid and liquid form, but how do you get the two to mix? Enter the injector, one of the more intricate parts in the rocket’s engine.
Simply put, the injector is a plate with a precise pattern of small holes drilled into it, which serves two purposes. Firstly, it creates a pressure drop between the oxidizer tank and the combustion chamber by constricting the incoming oxidizer flow. This pressure drop notably ensures safety by avoiding unscheduled rapid disassembly events. More interestingly, the injector is designed to maximize mixing in the combustion chamber between the oxidizer and fuel. It does this by atomizing (vaporizing) the passing oxidizer and delivering it in a way that facilities its contact with evaporated fuel. Depending on the flow pattern the injector produces, combustion efficiency (and thus engine performance) can vary significantly during the engine burn!
This year, the McGill Rocket Team is looking into designing and testing alternate injector geometries as well as characterizing their impact on thrust generation. Flow rates and stream patterns will be observed with our very own water testing rig at the MRT test site, and engine performance will be experimentally tested through hotfire tests on the bench scale--a “mini” (actually still quite powerful) rocket motor.
By joining this project, you will:
Get very familiar with multiple aspects of CAD, including modeling and drafting.
Research, design and draw plans for novel injector designs! (Some of them get funky.)
Learn about manufacturing by actually machining these new injector designs.
Look at cool water streams and also FIRE when experimentally testing the injectors.
Work closely with people from all around propulsion, including the fuel casting and bench scale projects
PR4: Oxidizer Valves
Description
The Oxidizer valves project is a critical component of the rocket's propulsion system, focusing on two main elements: the main oxidizer valve (MOV) and the Fill/Dump Oxidizer Valve (F/DOV).
As you may or may not know, to launch a hybrid rocket you absolutely need to keep the oxidizer and fuel separate until the very last moment, to avoid a spark prematurely lighting your engine. This is where the main oxidizer valve comes in. The challenge of this part of the project is to achieve rapid actuation while maintaining reliability under the high-pressure conditions of a hybrid rocket motor. If this still isn't riveting enough for you we have even more to do in the second part.
The second part of the project centers on the Fill/Dump Oxidizer Valve. As the name suggests, this valve is responsible for filling the rocket’s oxidizer tank with nitrous oxide before launch and dumping the tank in an abort situation. Designing this valve involves precision engineering to handle two very different flow requirements and loading scenarios.
By joining the valves project, you will gain hands-on experience with dynamic sealing, rapid actuation mechanisms, and high-pressure systems. You will work closely with the propulsion team to integrate these valves into the rocket’s overall architecture within the plumbing assembly, and you will directly contribute to the safe and effective launch of a high power rocket. This project is perfect for those intereste
PR5: Fuel Casting and Ignition System
Description
The following project contains two elements of the fire triangle: fuel and FIREEE (or heat if you prefer). It is divided into two sections.
The first section will focus on the manufacturing process of our beautiful, solid fuel, made from melted paraffin wax (candle wax) and carbon black. In previous years, the fuel was spincasted, which meant that it was melted down and spun for about two hours to make a solid fuel grain. Now, we have a bigger rocket; hence, we have a bigger fuel grain. We will be taking this opportunity to move away from this method to pursue a mold casting process we have been developing over the past year. We found we get higher quality fuel by simply pouring the mixture into a mold and letting it cool down for a few hours (crazy, I know, it's like making big candles, but they make rockets fly and smell even better). Thus, we will be focused on developing a more permanent setup for this process, but first, we need to test the quality of the fuel! To do so, we will be using the benchscale, a smaller scale engine developed by a member of the team. This will help us test the integrity of the fuel before we move on to a full scale hotfire test! A second goal for this section is also to design a better spin casting setup as a potential backup for the future.
The second section will focus on the design of the ignition system, which provides the required energy to initiate combustion. We currently have a working igniter, but we have had some “reliability” issues with it. Therefore, our goal this year is to develop a safe and reliable ignition system that will be potentially integrated within the rocket.
By joining this project, you will:
Learn about our fuel and ignition system, how they are made, and how they contribute to combustion in our engine
Do some research and gain experience in design with CAD (computer-aided design) software
Participate in the design, manufacturing and testing process of our fuel and igniter
Have the opportunity to attend benchscale and hotfire tests throughout the year at our testsite!
No previous experience is required, just be willing to learn and participate!
