HTP/PLA Hybrid Test on 08/29/2023

On Aug 11, 2023, I used the ignition surface flux scaling parameter (0.2 gm/cm2/sec) to designed a new 6-point star fuel core. The 6-point star configuration increased the surface area over the 5-point design. As such, the new fuel core can be made ~ 1.5 cm shorter than the 5-point design. The decrease in fuel core length will result in a mass savings for the overall flight system. Ignition occurred in 0.6 sec and burn time was 5.8 sec. The average thrust was ~ 24.0 N. The initial test results show a slight increase in performance over the 5-point design.

The second part of the video shows the inner core of PLA/KMnO4 fuel core after the test. The recession of the PLA/KMnO4 fuel core seems to be evenly distributed along the length of the fuel core. This implies that, if designed properly, most of the fuel core can be consumed in the burn.