• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.73-82
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• 2020

Additively manufactured, small rocket engines are perhaps the focal activities of space startups that are developing low-cost launch vehicles. Rocket engine companies such as SpaceX and Rocket Lab in the United States, Ariane Group in Europe, and IHI in Japan have already adopted the additive manufacturing process in building key components of their rocket engines. In this paper on technology trends, an existing valve housing of a rocket engine is chosen as a case study to examine the feasibility of using additively manufactured parts for rocket engines.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.849-854
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• 2008

We have been developing a 1500N-thrust Swirling-Oxidizer-Flow-Type hybrid rocket engine. In order to put the engine into practical use, we conducted long duration burning experiments up to 25s to examine the influence of configuration change of fuel grain on the engine performance and designed an LOX vaporization nozzle to supply GOX for the 1500N-thrust engine. The experiment with a small hybrid rocket engine showed that combustion was stable and the engine performance was approximately constant during combustion. There was no essential problem to with increasing combustion time. The LOX vaporization nozzle designed had 30 rectangular channels with a depth of 0.5mm. During passing through the nozzle, the LOX increased in temperature and vaporized sufficiently.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.321-324
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• 2011

A computational analysis of nozzle flow characteristics and plume structure using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with $k-{\omega}$ SST turbulence model was conducted to examine performance of the supersonic nozzle employed in a small liquid-rocket engine for ground firing test. Computed results and experimental outcome of 2-D converging-diverging nozzle flow were compared for verifying the computational capability as well as the turbulence model validity. Numerical computations of 2-D axisymmetric nozzle flow was carried out with the selected model. As a result, flow separation with backflow appeared around the nozzle exit. This investigation was reported as a background data for the optimal nozzle design of small liquid-propellant rocket engine for ground test.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.85-92
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• 2020

Ground hot-firing tests were conducted to analyze the combustion performance according to the characteristic lengths 1.37 m, 1.71 m, and 2.06 m of the combustion chamber in 200 N-class GCH4-LOx small rocket engine. Thrust, specific impulse, and characteristic velocity at the steady-state could be obtained as the key performance parameters of the rocket engine. The performance characteristics acquired through the test were compared and analyzed with the theoretical performance calculated from CEA analysis. Observation of the influence of characteristic length on the combustion performance indicates that an optimal characteristic length shall remain between 1.71 m and 2.06 m.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.73-82
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• 2015

A high altitude test facility which includes supersonic diffuser and ejector has been developed to simulate atmospheric pressure at 25 km using a 500 N class small scale liquid rocket engine. Also high altitude simulation test for the small scale liquid rocket engine was performed to verify the facility's performance. The experimental facility consists of high altitude simulation device, propellants supply system and coolant supply system. Low pressure condition corresponding to about 27 km(0.021 bar) altitude atmosphere was successfully simulated and a small scale liquid rocket engine thrust level was confirmed at the simulated condition by the high altitude test facility verification test.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.125-131
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• 2018

Some propellants in a liquid rocket engine are burned in the pre-burner of a staged combustion cycle engine, resulting hot gas drives the turbine. The burned gas passing through the turbine is supplied to the combustor at high temperature and pressure. The form of the gas can be fuel rich or oxidizer rich dependent upon the mixture ratio or the engine scheme. When the cycle works at oxidizer-rich condition, the metal pipes composing the engine can be ignited or even exploded by an impact of very a small particle. In this study, we developed the powder combination and processes for an anti-oxidation coating through the analysis of various coating materials.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2020

A performance evaluation of the 200 N-class GCH₄/LOx small rocket engine was performed through ground hot-firing test. As a result, the combustion pressure and thrust raised with the increase of the oxidizer supply pressure, and thus the specific impulse, characteristic velocity, and their efficiency increased. The characteristic velocity was measured at about 90% performance efficiency. The change of chamber aspect ratio did not affect the performance of the rocket engine in the test condition specified. In addition, uncertainty evaluation was conducted to ensure the reliability of the test results.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06d
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• pp.846-851
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• 2001

For the successful development of the main engine of KSR(Korea Sounding Rocket)-III, Korea Aerospace Research Institute(KARI) carried out the experimental study on the subscale model engines. Several types of engines were tested on the Small Liquid Rocket Engine Test Facility. One of the typical test results of a Sub. engine(Sub. Mod.3) is presented here. It uses the Jet A-1 as fuel, liquid oxygen as oxidizer, and Tri-Ethyl Aluminium(TEA1) as ignition agent. The gas pressure feed system is adopted as a feeding mechanism and the design chamber pressure is 200psia. The physical phenomena are described in three regimes(ignition, transient, and steady state) with the pressure, thrust, flowrate and image data. And the pressure oscillation is analyzed in Fourier domain (<500Hz). Then we conclude that in this experiment, the engine shows the characteristic low frequency of 80Hz and it is stable for that frequency of pressure oscillation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.34-42
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• 2022

A correlation between propellant supply condition and chamber pressure in GCH₄-LOx small rocket engine was explored and hot-firing tests were conducted to analyze the engine performance characteristics according to the equivalence ratio variation at a constant chamber pressure. Correlation studies have shown that chamber pressure is linearly proportional to oxidizer supply pressure. As a result of the test, the thrust, specific impulse and characteristic velocity that are the main performance parameters of a rocket engine, were found to be enhanced as the equivalence ratio starting from a fuel-lean condition approached the stoichiometric ratio, but the efficiencies of characteristic velocity and specific impulse were on the contrary, in their dependency on the equivalence ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.47-53
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• 2015

Design parameters required for Methane/oxygen bipropellant small-rocket-engine were derived through a theoretical performance analysis. The theoretical performance of the rocket engine was analyzed by using CEA and optimal propellant mixture ratio, characteristic length, and optimal expansion ratio were calculated by assuming chemical equilibrium. A coaxial-type swirl injector was chosen because of its outstanding atomization performance and high combustion efficiency compared to other types of injector and also a bell nozzle with 80% of its full length was designed. The rocket engine configuration with 1.72 MPa of chamber pressure, 0.18 kg/s in total propellant mass flow, and O/F ratio of 2.7 was proposed as a ground-firing test model.