Hot-Fire Tests 2007-04-21
Ran the final test with this engine. At the very end of the run, the throat
melted out due to what I believe was a sequencing problem which caused LOX
to spray on the hot nozzle. One thermocouple was taped down to the outside
of the chamber but I think it detached sometime during the run.
See the discussion on the main page for more details.
Run 1 Image
Death of uncooled engine
Run 1 Clip
Run 1 Data
Melted throat
Melted throat inside
Hot-Fire Tests 2007-02-25
Ran one test with the new flowmeters. No thermocouples were connected.
See the discussion on the main page for more details.
Run 1 Image
Run 1 Clip
Run 1 Data
Pre-Test
2004-05-17
Added more pictures. In the data plots, the units are:
Tank pressures: psig
Thrust: lbf
Compressed air pressure: psig
Chamber pressure: psia
Temperatures: Deg R
Hot-Fire Tests 2004-04-18
Run 1 Image
Run 1 Clip
Run 2 Clip
Run 1 Data
Run 2 Data
Setting up the night before
Filling kerosene tank
Last look before the run
Remote instrumentation
Test control central
Filling LOX tank
After the run
LOX lines were still cold
More cold LOX lines
Test crew
Lots of soot in there
My faithful supporters!
Injector after disassembly
Cleaned up injector
Science Fair at work
Cold-Flow Tests 2004-01-26, 2003
The tests with LN2 and water were much more exciting than water
alone. I'm sure my neighbors were wondering what I was up to with
billowing clouds of cold nitrogen vapor coming out from the open garage!
You can really see the difference between the clogged injector
photo and the full open injector with the LN2. Also, note the
frost and ice on the top of the tank - you can see where I
couldn't get the burst disk holder screwed all the way back in.
I've performed various cold water tests with the injector over a
range of pressures. The spray pattern is pretty good. In one
case, the o-ring which seals the fuel manifold failed and got
stuck in one of the fuel injector orifices. In a live
fatal as the corresponding LOX stream would have been
left unpaired and may have impinged on the hot chamber
wall. Having more pairs would lessen the impact of this
type of failure but the holes are already getting pretty
small for a 100 lbf thrust engine.
Cold water test
O-ring failure
LN2 test - filling the tank
LN2 test - injector clogged with ice
LN2 test - injector free flowing
LN2 test - iced up fitting
LN2 test - ball valve
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