We will produce and test a flight-type transpiration cooled combustion chamber for high performance, reusable, liquid rocket engines utilizing a novel uniform pore material. The Sierra Engineering design produces a durable, low cost, flight-weighttranspiration cooled liner with integral fluid… More

We will produce and test a flight-type transpiration cooled combustion chamber for high performance, reusable, liquid rocket engines utilizing a novel uniform pore material. The Sierra Engineering design produces a durable, low cost, flight-weighttranspiration cooled liner with integral fluid… More

"Highly efficient, high energy density electrical generation systems are needed for ground based assets. Fuel cell electrical generation systems provide high efficiency, low emissions, and low thermal signatures. A cost effective, transportable reformersystem, providing hydrogen, while using a… More

Spatial uniformity within combustion devices, especially circumferential, is extremely important to the reliability and durability of a liquid rocket engine. Conventional combustion diagnostics, e.g. pressure and thrust, characterize global engine behavior, but provide no direct information about… More

PERCORP is a program that accurately predicts the exhaust constituents, including soot, in liquid propellant rocket engines. It was developed by Sierra Engineering Inc. (Sierra) for the Plume Phenomenology group (PRSA) at AFRL. In the last year PERCORPhas been enhanced as part of an MDA Phase II… More

Sierra Engineering Inc. (Sierra) proposes to perform the fundamental research necessary to understand the thermal decomposition kinetics of High Test Peroxide (HTP) and its interactions with common stabilizers, in order to produce a practical thermaldecomposer. The utilization of HTP as rocket… More

Combustion instability is one of the greatest development risks for liquid propellant engines. The risks arise in development of a stable injector design from a variety of sources - limited modelling capabilities, poor scalability and the high cost ofappropriate component test facilities. Sierra… More

This effort will improve plume signature prediction of hydrocarbon burning liquid rocket engines by increasing the fidelity of the soot production models used to predict exhaust conditions. The new models will include improved kinetic mechanisms as well as prediction of soot particle size, shape… More

We propose using response surface methodology (RSM) as a tool to better understand the effects of engine design parameters and operating conditions on plume signature, and to improve signature predictions through optimized selection of analysis inputs. Often rocket engine operating conditions and… More

Combustion instability is one of the greatest development risks for liquid propellant engines. In developing a stable injector design, the risks arise from a variety of sources - limited modeling capabilities, poor scalability and the high cost of appropriate component test facilities. Sierra… More

The utilization of High Test Hydrogen Peroxide (HTP) as military propellant can be greatly simplified by replacing the classical catalyst bed with a novel thermal decomposer. A thermal peroxide decomposition system offers the potential to enhance the operability and system safety margin of peroxide… More

Sierra Engineering Inc. (Sierra) believes that the subject triaxial liquid propellant swirl injector has the potential to meet many of NASA's Earth-to-Orbit (ETO) propulsion systems goals. The triaxial swirl injector is ideally suited to a wide range of liquid oxidizers and fuels, including hydrogen… More

The pace and cost of developing an engine system for future explorations is strongly influenced by the inadequacies of design tools and the supporting databases. The inability to predict the internal operating environments of a combustion chamber during the design process necessitates design… More

Sierra Engineering Inc. (Sierra) believes that the subject triaxial liquid propellant swirl injector has the potential to meet many of NASA's Earth-to-Orbit (ETO) propulsion systems goals. The triaxial swirl injector is ideally suited to a wide range of liquid oxidizers and fuels, including hydrogen… More

Sierra Engineering and Purdue University propose to leverage combustion stability testing, already funded and planned for the second and third quarters of next year at Purdue, by developing a non-intrusive plume instrument capable of detecting combustion instability and testing it during combustor… More

Sierra Engineering Inc. and Purdue University propose to develop a non-intrusive plume instrument capable of detecting and diagnosing combustion instability. This Stability Diagnostic System (SDS) will be designed, assembled, and tested during this effort. The SDS will include a high-speed video… More

The goal of this SBIR is the design and demonstration of an opposed flow acoustic resonance igniter concept that can be applied to a range of rocket propellant combinations. Along with the hardware demonstration, we plan to exercise the analytical tools necessary to model the transient ignition… More

The goal of this SBIR is the enhancement of the current state-of-the-art combustion instability analysis tools. The planned enhancement is focused on capturing the effects of injection element distribution and the inclusion of substantial film cooling and diluent injection. These characteristics are… More

A new, improved fidelity solid rocket ballistics model will be built on a commercial CFD platform. The CFD platform includes a coupled solid mechanics solver, allowing for tight coupling between the grain burnback and the motor gas dynamics. An aero-acoustic component of the platform will be used to… More

To improve the predictive capabilities of solid rocket motor end-of-burn phenomena, two analysis tools will be further developed. An existing engineering tool will go through continued development and validation, while an existing solid rocket ballistics model, built and demonstrated within a… More

A new, improved fidelity solid rocket ballistics model is being built on a commercial CFD platform. The CFD platform includes a coupled solid mechanics solver, allowing for tight coupling between the grain burnback and the motor gas dynamics. An aeroacoustic component of the platform will be used to… More