• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.44 no.7
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• pp.576-584
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• 2016

In this study, AP added propellant has been proposed as a method of enhancing the low specific impulse performance found for staged hybrid rocket engine. Experimental tests were carried out to analyze and evaluate the effect of AP added propellant on specific impulse performance as well as fuel-rich combustion characteristics in a staged hybrid rocket engine. Upper limit of AP content in propellant was set to be 15 wt% to maintain the hybrid rocket engine advantages. As a result, 15 wt% AP added propellant showed 3% higher specific impulse performance compared to 0 wt% AP added propellant. Moreover, AP addition proved to offer less injected oxidizer mass flow, less O/F variation, and less combustion pressure while producing fuel-rich gas of the same combustion temperature. Future studies will carry out more combustion tests with metal additives to further enhance specific impulse.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.117-119
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• 2017

The multi-stage catalytic igniter for hybrid rocket auto ignition is described in this paper. After charging the catalyst and pre-heating the first stage, the $N_2O$ was supplied at the first stage with the low mass flow rate, and then the $N_2O$ with the high flow rate was supplied into the second stage. Even though the $N_2O$ flow rate was high, it was decomposed by supplying the high temperature gas which was evolved from the $N_2O$ decomposition in the first stage. This multi-stage ignitor resulted in the decrease of the ignition time in comparison with the previous ignitor, and confirmed the possibility of $N_2O$ decomposition with the high flow rate using the multi-stage catalytic-ignition system.