• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.1108-1114
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• 2007

The effect of oxidizer injection angle on the combustion characteristics of end-burning hybrid combustor is numerically investigated. Besides the previously studied parameter(injector arrangement, port diameter and O/F ratio), three different injection angle are considered: parallel angle to fuel surface(Case 1), +30 degree inclined angle toward the fuel(Case 2) and 30 degree inclined angle toward the nozzle(Case 3). It is found that Case 2 has the best mixing pattern in the upstream area but has the worst combustion efficiency since non negligible amount of unburned fuel is expelled from the nozzle. In contrast, though Case 1 and Case 3 showed relatively low mixing effect than the Case 2, they had high combustion efficiency. The comparison of numerical results between Case 1 and Case 3 demonstrate that no major difference is encountered, however, Case 1 is expected to have the best combustion efficiency due to the low residence time of the Case 3 injector which heads toward the nozzle.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.70-76
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• 2016

Tensile and compressive strength tests were conducted to investigate the mechanical characteristics of aluminized paraffin wax fuel for hybrid gas generator applications. Mixtures of 0 wt%, 10 wt% and 30 wt% nano aluminum paraffin coupons as well as 5 wt%, 10 wt% and 15 wt% micro aluminum paraffin coupons were used. The average particle size of 100nm and of $8{\mu}m$ mixed each with microcrystalline paraffin wax(Sasol 0907) were chosen for the base specimens where the tensile strength test followed the ASTM-D638 specimen standard while the compressive strength test followed the ASTM D575-91. It was found that nano based specimens increased both the tensile and compressive strength enhancing the mechanical behavior of paraffin wax whereas the micro based specimens gave still less influential effect.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.23-31
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• 2016

The intermediate mixing chamber is one of various methods for improving the regression rate and combustion efficiency of the hybrid rocket. The mixing chamber with its non-combustible material makes the propulsion performance increase, but it leads to a low fuel-loading density in the combustion chamber; therefore, this performance-related trade-off between the mixing chamber and the low fuel-loading density was studied. In this study, the trade-off was conducted by comparing the intermediate-mixing-chamber case with a w/o-mixing-chamber case. The small hybrid-sounding rocket is designed with internal ballistics for comparing the rocket length to the weight. In addition, an external ballistic analysis was conducted for comparing the performances of the w/- and w/o-mixing-chamber cases. As a result, the intermediate-mixing-chamber case shows that the length and the weight were decreased to 12 % and 8 %, respectively; furthermore, when compared with the normal cases, the estimated altitude result of the w/-mixing-chamber case was increased to approximately 75 m.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.398-404
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• 2007

In this paper, thermal characteristics of a nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) catalytic reactor with packed-bed geometry are theoretically and numerically investigated. Several researchers experimentally presented that catalytic decomposition of $N_2O$ in a packed bed generates about 82kJ/mole in the exothermic reaction. Based on the results they have studied the catalytic decomposition of $N_2O$ in a packed bed to use it not only as a mono-propellant thrust for small satellites but also as an igniter system for hybrid rockets. So we aim to identify important parameters existing in an $N_2O$ packed-bed geometry, and to clarify its critical effect on thermal characteristics of the catalytic igniter using a porous medium approach.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.489-494
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• 2017

This paper describes the combustion characteristics of aluminized paraffin fuel on the contents of micron-sized aluminum particles with nominal diameters of $8{\mu}m$. Aluminized paraffin fuels with mixture ratio of aluminum 0 wt%, 5 wt% and 10 wt% as fuel and GOx(Gaseous Oxygen) as oxidizer were used to perform the experiments. The experimental investigations were performed on the regression rate, the chamber pressure and the combustion efficiency. Increasing a content of micron-sized aluminum particles, the results of regression rate, chamber pressure and combustion efficiency show minor increase compared to those without particles.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.11-19
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• 2018

Viscosity measurements were conducted to investigate the rheological characteristics of aluminized paraffin wax fuel. To identify the effect of size and contents of the aluminum particles on the variation of viscosity, samples of nano- and micro- sized aluminum particles with an average particle size of 100 nm and $8{\mu}m$ were prepared and measured using a rheometer. The observed viscosity increment patterns of the nano- and micro-sized particles were vey different, and particularly above 10 wt%, where a relatively low overall regression rate is expected for nano- content fuel. It is possible that this phenomenon could cause the reduced entrainment regression rate.

• Atmosphere
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.203-216
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• 2024

The National Institute of Meteorological Sciences in Korea has developed the Weather Modification Hybrid Rocket (WMHR), an advanced system that offers enhanced stability and cost-effectiveness over conventional solid-fuel rockets. Designed for precise operation, the WMHR enables accurate control over the ejection altitude of pyrotechnics by modulating the quantity of oxidizer, facilitating specific cloud seeding at various atmospheric layers. Furthermore, the rate of descent for pyrotechnic devices can be adjusted by modifying parachute sizes, allowing for controlled dispersion time and concentration of seeding agents. The rocket's configuration also supports adjustments in the pyrotechnic device's capacity, permitting tailored seeding agent deployment. This innovation reflects significant technical progression and collaborations with local manufacturers, in addition to efforts to secure testing sites and address hybrid rocket production challenges. Notable outcomes of this project include the creation of a national framework for weather modification technology utilizing hybrid rockets, enhanced cloud seeding methods, and the potential for broader meteorological application of hybrid rockets beyond precipitation augmentation. An illustrative case study confirmed the WMHR's operational effectiveness, although the impact on cloud seeding was limited by unfavorable weather conditions. This experience has provided valuable insights and affirmed the system's potential for varied uses, such as weather modification and deploying high-altitude meteorological sensors. Nevertheless, the expansion of civilian weather rocket experiments in Korea faces challenges due to inadequate infrastructure and regulatory limitations, underscoring the urgent need for advancements in these areas.