A DoD Information Analysis Center
Sponsored by JANNAF and DTIC
Vol. 35, No. 3
May 2009
News and Information for the Greater Propulsion Community
Propulsion Research Activities Abound at Auburn University
By Dr. Winfred A. “Butch” Foster, Dr. Roy Hartfield, and Dr. Brian Thurow
Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
A
uburn University’s Aerospace Engineering Department is the site of many activities related to the propulsion of aerospace vehicles. The study of propulsion systems at Auburn began with the creation of the aeronautics curriculum for the 1931-1932 academic year, and the
first graduates finished the program in 1933. Instruction and
research associated with aircraft and rocket propulsion have
been an integral part of what is now Aerospace Engineering. While coursework related to propulsion had been in the
curriculum since its inception in 1933 and specific courses
dealing with air breathing and rocket propulsion had also
been added over a period of years, it was the 1966 arrival
of Richard Sforzini, a Morton Thiokol solid rocket motor
specialist, that marked the beginning of a major emphasis
on propulsion, both in the academic curriculum and as a
major research topic. In 1967, two new rocket propulsion
courses covering liquid propellant rockets and solid propellant rockets were introduced into the undergraduate curriculum as electives. Both courses provided a foundation for the
preliminary design and performance analysis of rocket motors. In the early 1970s, because of the intended use of solid
rocket motor boosters on the Space Shuttle, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA/MSFC) needed to provide
training in the area of solid rocket motors to engineers whose
continued on page 4
Purdue University Promotes Propulsion
Education and Research through Unique
Testing Facilities
By Dr. Steven F. Son, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
P
urdue University has a long tradition in propulsion research, and its unique
facilities enable hands-on education in combustion and aerospace sciences.
A significant part of propulsion testing facilities at Purdue are located at a
remote location, away from the main part of campus, on a 24-acre site adjacent
to the Purdue University Airport. Rocket propulsion testing at Purdue began in
1948, under the direction of Dr. Maurice Zucrow. The Advanced Propellants and
Combustion Laboratory (APCL) houses two control rooms and three test cells
(Cells A, B, and C) for propulsion testing, fuel coking studies, and propellant
development. Another rocket test cell (Cell T) is now operational in the Propulsion
Laboratory. Test firings are conducted and observed from the control rooms. In
addition, there are several small-scale experimental labs throughout the Zucrow
complex.
continued on page 6
JANNAF Propulsion Meeting & Joint Subcommittee
Meeting held in Las Vegas – See page 12
Inside This Issue
JANNAF Subcommittees to Convene in
La Jolla, CA ..........................................3
Johns Hopkins University Sponsors 6th
Annual Physics Fair..............................9
CU-Boulder Develops Drag and Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer .....10
JANNAF Meets in Las Vegas..............12
JANNAF Journal Vol. 3, Call for Papers...16
Two Successful Motor Test Firings in
Support of IHPRPT............................17
In Memoriam
Frederick A. Boorady, Dr. Russell Reed,
Jr., and Dr. Ralph Roberts.................18
NASA Stennis Space Center Focuses on
Helium Conservation........................19
Spotlight on SBIRs/SBTTs
CSE Develops Optimization Tool for
Scramjet Applications........................20
Rocket Test Group at NASA WSTF.......23
1st NCRES Held in So. Maryland......23
Technical/Bibliographic Inquiries...............2
Bulletin Board/Mtg.Reminders..................3
JANNAF Meeting Calendar...............back
CPIAC’s
Technical/Bibliographic
Inquiry Service
CPIAC offers a variety of services to its subscribers, including responses to
technical/bibliographic inquiries. Answers are usually provided within three
working days and take the form of telephoned, telefaxed, electronic, or written
technical summaries. Customers are provided with copies of JANNAF papers,
excerpts from technical reports, bibliographies of pertinent literature, names of
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or theoretical performance calculations. The CPIAC staff responds to nearly 800
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Ron Fry by e-mail to rs_fry@jhu.edu. Representative recent inquiries include:
TECHNICAL INQUIRIES
•
Synthesis of Trimethylolmethane Trinitrate (TMMTN) (Req. 26342)
•
Asbestos Content in Patriot Rocket Motor Insulation (Req. 26345)
•
SRM Canted Nozzle Mechanism Design (Req. 26346)
•
Commercial Leak Detection Systems for Hypergolic Propellants (Req.
26352)
•
Small SRM Manufacturers in Northeast US (Req. 26380)
•
Current Environmental Ruling on the use of Ammonium Perchlorate
(AP) (Req. 26379)
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INQUIRIES
•
CPIA-LS79-6, "Underwater Vehicle Propellants," by Theodore Gilliland
(Req. 26298)
•
Understanding Flow Blockages in Small Thrusters, 1980 JANNAF Propulsion Meeting (Req. 26358)
•
DB Propellant Properties, DB Propellant Gassing and Composite Propellant
Gassing (Req. 26360)
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Recent CPIAC Products and Publications
JANNAF Journal of Propulsion and Energetics,
Volume II, April 2009.
Page 2
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CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
JANNAF
43rd Combustion/
31st Airbreathing Propulsion/
25th Propulsion Systems Hazards
Joint Subcommittee Meeting
December 7-11, 2009
La Jolla, CA
The Joint Army-Navy-NASA-Air
Force (JANNAF) 43rd Combustion/31st
Airbreathing Propulsion/25th Propulsion
Systems Hazards Joint Subcommittee
Meeting will be held December 7-11,
2009 in La Jolla, California. Unclassified
sessions will be conducted at the Hyatt
Regency La Jolla; classified sessions will
be held at the Naval Fleet Intelligence
Training Center in San Diego.
CPIAC distributed the meeting announcement and call for papers in March.
Abstracts are due May 25; proposals for
workshops are due June 8.
The Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine is a luxury hotel located within
walking distance of a variety of restaurants and shopping, and within a 10-minute drive to beautiful beaches, the Birch
Aquarium, and the Torrey Pines golf
course. Visit the hotel’s Web site for a
full description of available amenities:
www.lajolla.hyatt.com. Room rates for
this JANNAF meeting are $139 for government and $209 for industry attendees.
Attendance at this JANNAF meeting
is restricted to U.S. citizens whose organizations are registered with an appropriately classified contract with the Defense Technical Information Center and
certified for receipt of export-controlled
technical data with the Defense Logistics
Information Service.
Please contact Patricia Szybist at
pats@jhu.edu or 410-992-7302, ext. 215,
if you require additional information, or
if you did not receive the meeting announcement and call for papers.
The Bulletin Board
Various propulsion-related meetings are listed below. If you know of an event
that may be of interest to the propulsion community, please forward the details
to bulletin@cpiac.jhu.edu. Additional industry meetings are posted on the
CPIAC Web site, Meetings & Symposia: http://www.cpia.jhu.edu/templates/
cpiacTemplate/meetings/. The JANNAF Calendar appears on the back page.
Fundamentals of Explosives
5-7 May 2009
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
POC: Dr. Jimmie Oxley, 401-874-210 or e-mail: joxley@chm.uri.edu
2009 Insensitive Munitions and Energetic Materials Technology
Symposium
11-14 May 2009
Tucson, Arizona
POC: www.ndia.org
Sixth Mediterranean Combustion Symposium
7-11 June 2009
Porticcio-Ajaccio, Corsica, France
POC: www.ichmt.org/mcs-09/
40th ICT Annual Conference
23-26 June 2009
Karlsruhe, Germany
POC: www.ict.fhg.de
45th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit
2-5 August 2009
Denver, Colorado
POC: www.aiaa.org
7th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring 2009
9-11 September 2009
Stanford University, Stanford, CA
POC: http://young-sacl.stanford.edu/member.php
2009 International Autumn Seminar on Propellants, Explosives and
Propellants
22-25 September 2009
Kunming, Yunnan, China
POC: http://www.iaspep.com.cn
6th International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion
1-5 November 2009
Scottsdale, Arizona
POC: http://aibep.org/ISBEP_6/ISBEP_6.htm
8th International Symposium on Special Topics in Chemical Propulsion
2-6 November 2009
Cape Town, South Africa
POC: Prof. Ken Kuo at kenkuo@psu.edu, or call (1-814) 863-6270
Poolside at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
Page 3
Auburn University....
University continued from page 1
background had historically been limited to liquid propellant rocket engines.
NASA MSFC chose to use an expanded
version of the solid rocket motor course
being taught at Auburn for this training
program, and it was taught onsite on
two occasions. Additional and expanded graduate courses in propulsion were
introduced beginning in the late 1960s.
The vast majority of research at Auburn in the area of rocket propulsion has
been related to performance prediction,
preliminary design, and optimization of
solid rocket motors. The modeling and
optimization effort has been supplemented by experimental investigations
in facilities on campus and at NASA/
MSFC. Liquid rocket and air breathing propulsion research has included
preliminary design and optimization
of ramjet and scramjet combustors and
ramjet- and scramjet-powered vehicles,
nonintrusive, instream measurements
of critical flow parameters in nonreacting combustor geometries, and the ongoing development of advanced measurement diagnostic techniques.
The research areas at Auburn are varied and cover many of the major areas
of interest associated with both rocket
and air breathing propulsion. Several
of the individual research activities at
Auburn are described in the following
sections.
Solid Rocket Motor Performance
and Design
Solid rocket motor research activities at Auburn University have been
ongoing for the last forty years. This
research has been primarily directed
at the development of analytical tools
for solid rocket motor internal ballistic
analysis, optimization of solid rocket
motor powered missiles, and structural analysis of solid rocket motor
hardware. One of the earliest major
efforts began in the early 1970s to support NASA/MSFC efforts to evaluate
the internal ballistic performance of
the Space Shuttle’s solid rocket motor
boosters. There was a need at NASA/
Page 4
MSFC for a computer code that could
be used on relatively small computers,
which would be able to match results
from more sophisticated internal ballistics codes to within 5% for such
variables as thrust, specific impulse,
total impulse, etc. A so-called simplified internal ballistics computer code
was developed to meet these objectives. In fact, this code was accurate
to within 3% in general and to within
1% for certain parameters. It formed
the basis for much of the work done
at Auburn over the next 15 years. This
work included a Monte Carlo thrust
imbalance prediction code which utilized 41 variables for the Space Shuttle solid rocket boosters. The simplified code also served as the basis for
the development of design and design
optimization codes based on a pattern
search technique for solid rocket motor preliminary design. Other uses of
the simplified code include studies of
off-design performance and reverse
engineering analyses to evaluate motor characteristics based on flight or
test data. An expanded version of the
simplified internal ballistics code, the
Solid Rocket Motor Multiple Options
Program, included the capability to
account for propellant grain deformation effects, circumferential grain temperature distributions, and the effects
of circular perforated grain ovality
and centerline misalignment. These
last two effects are not known to be
accounted for in any other internal
ballistics code today. On two occasions, experimental efforts have been
conducted at NASA/MSFC to obtain
a better understanding of the flow field
induced by an igniter in the head-end
star grain slots. This work included
the design and fabrication of 1/10thscale models for the reusable solid
rocket motor (RSRM) and advanced
solid rocket motor (ASRM) head-end
star grains. Measurements included
oil smear data, pressure data, heat
transfer, laser doppler velocimetry
data, and flow visualization data, using
aluminum particles to seed the flow.
Igniters with both single- and multipleport configurations were evaluated. A
subset of these experiments included
an effort to evaluate plume interactions
for multi-port igniters. The model used
for the slots along with the igniter models tested for the ASRM are shown in
Fig. 1.
Figure 1. Model used for the slots and
igniter models tested for the ASRM.
Scramjet Combustor Design
The study of fuel-air mixing in a
supersonic cross-flow has been investigated extensively as a test case for a
scramjet combustor geometry. With
the development of computing technology, it is possible to develop optimized preliminary designs for scramjet
combustors using a computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) solver and a Genetic
Algorithm (GA). Experimental results
from research conducted in the 1990s
have been used for the validation of the
CFD solutions. The experiments were
highly focused on developing accurate
data sets for a single-case flow situation. This effort builds on this single
validated case by considering geometric variations of the combustor design,
solving for the flow, and arriving at a
geometry which is optimized for mixing efficiency with minimum total
pressure loss under the direction of a
GA. Sample results for the validation
case are shown in Fig. 2.
continued on page 5
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
Auburn University....
University continued from page 4
Figure 2. Sample results for the validation
case.
Figure 3. Optimized solid boosted ramjet missile system (left) and an aerodynamically
enhanced launch vehicle (right).
Rocket and Ramjet Propelled Vehicle Design
Recent vehicle design optimization efforts have focused on multiple-stage solid propellant vehicles, single- and multiple-stage liquid propellant vehicles, solid motor boosted ramjets, and solid motor boosted scramjets. Successful demonstrations of a two-stage all-solid propellant-kinetic weapon system and a solid motor-boosted air breathing vehicle
have supported the U.S. Army’s mission to develop advanced weapon systems. A substantial program to develop solid
propellant-fueled launch vehicles has resulted in an optimized version of
the minotaur launch vehicle and vehicles that include enhanced performance using aerodynamic lifting during early flight. During this effort,
the performance of the basic wingless vehicle was found to be enhanced
by varying the geometric definition of the attached wing structure and the
internal propellant. Initial system weights and propellant mass fractions
were found to decrease for a given payload even with the addition of the
wing structure. Figure 3 shows representations of an optimized solid
boosted ramjet missile system and an aerodynamically enhanced launch
vehicle.
Diagnostic Technique Development for Propulsion Flows
Recently, researchers at Auburn have been developing high-speed
advanced laser diagnostics suitable for measurements in high-speed and/
or reacting propulsion-related flows. The centerpiece of this development
is a home-built pulse-burst laser system capable of producing high energy Figure 4. 3-D imaging technique used to visualize
(>10 mJ/pulse) laser pulses at repetition rates exceeding 1 MHz and flow of a turbulent jet.
wavelengths ranging from 266 nm to 1064 nm. Used in conjunction with
a high-speed camera capable of 500,000 fps, the laser can be used to take
high-speed flow measurements using techniques such as planar laser-induced fluorescence to simple flow visualization.
Perhaps the most unique application of the system, however, has been for the acquisition of 3-D flow images. For 3-D
imaging, a galvanometric scanning mirror is used to scan the high-repetition laser sheet through the flow field with a
high-speed camera recording the image at each scan location. A 3-D image can then be reconstructed from the stack of
2-D images. The overall acquisition process can be completed in tens of microseconds. An example of the technique
used to visualize the flow of a turbulent jet is shown in Fig. 4.
For additional information on propulsion research and activities at Auburn University, visit the Aerospace Engineering
Department’s Web site: http://eng.auburn.edu//programs/aero/.
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
Page 5
Purdue University....
University continued from page 1
Gelled Propellant Lab (GPL)
The GPL is Purdue’s newest propulsion laboratory being
developed in support of an Army Research Office (ARO)
Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI)
program on spray and combustion of gelled hypergolic
propellants, which was awarded last year to Purdue and its
partners. The GPL houses a control room and a laboratory
space dedicated to small-scale testing with hypergolic
propellants such as NTO, IRFNA, and hydrazine-based
fuels. The versatility of the mechanical and data acquisition
systems as well as the dedicated air ventilation and
monitoring systems installed at GPL make this laboratory
particularly well-suited for testing of hypergolic systems and
fire/vapor suppressant systems, as well as other small-scale
experimental activities.
LOX-LCH4 Facility
The LOX-LCH4 facility is being developed to provide a
known-temperature liquid cryogenic fluid to a test article.
Standard gaseous oxygen and methane cylinders are used
to supply pressurized gases into cyrogenic chilling tanks
to produce and store liquid propellants for test operation.
Each system can be independently temperature-controlled
with a goal to deliver specified temperature propellants to
the test hardware. The facility is designed to test smallscale thrusters and ignition work in addition to fundamental
instability research of LOX-LCH4.
Solid Propellant Mixing and Combustion Lab
Purdue’s solid propellant mixing facility utilizes a Ross
model DPM-1 Quart double planetary mixer that has a mixing range of ½ pint to 1 quart with stirrer speeds of 22-98
rpm with cooling or heating control, and vacuum to about
0.5 psia. The Ross mixer can be operated remotely from a
control room. The facility includes two windowed pressure
vessels (Crawford bombs) for combustion studies of propellants and energetic materials. Pressures up to 6000 psi can
be considered. Sapphire windows allow access to infrared
access, and a top window of one of the vessels is configured
for the use of a Zinc Selenide (ZnSe) top window that allows ignition studies using a CO2 laser. High-speed digital
microscopic imaging and visible/IR spectroscopy are used
in combustion studies. Electostatic discharge (ESD) and
impact testing is used to quantify sensitivity of new propellants. Material ball milling, cutting, and polishing, along
with microscopy, are also available for sample characterization. An environmentally controlled glovebox is used to
keep nanometals pristine. A light gas gun, explosive blast
chambers, and initiator testing facilities are also currently
used. Purdue also maintains active Class 1.1 and 1.3 bunkers for remote storage of energetic materials as part of the
Zucrow Laboratory complex. Many other small-scale laboratory research projects are also located at Zucrow Labs, including hydrogen storage, combustion, spray dynamics, and
fluid dynamics.
High Pressure Lab (HPL)
Originally constructed in the mid-1960s in support of the
Apollo program, HPL provides the most substantial capabilities for rocket and airbreathing combustion and nozzle
studies with two large test cells classed to 10,000 lbf thrust
levels. A 6000 psi nitrogen system serves for pressurizing
facility tanks, and 5000 psi liquid oxygen, gaseous hydrogen, kerosene, hydrogen peroxide, and cooling water capabilities exist to the 10,000 lbf thrust level. A gas-fired heat
exchanger provides airflows heated to 1000Ο F at flowrates
on the order of 10 lb/s to simulate airbreathing combustor
inlet conditions, and roughly 5 tons of high-pressure air
storage is available from the lab air system. There are also
several unique large-scale testing facilities at Zucrow Labs.
Pulse denotation and high-pressure gas turbine combustor
test rigs are currently in place at HPL. The airbreathing combustor rig provides optical access for diagnostic access to the
combustor. The HPL Annex is the newest building within
the HPL complex. This 1400-sq ft structure provides large
continued on page 7
Figure 1. Hydrocarbon film cooling test on 10 klbf thrust stand at Purdue High Pressure Laboratory
(left). On the right, is a fitted heat flux measurement for a HO combustor. Different lines within each
pressure grouping refer to measurements at different azimuthal locations.
Page 6
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
Purdue University....
University continued from page 6
flow capabilities for airbreathing combustion and nozzle experiments (see Ref. 1 for details).
In the past decade or so there has been a reinvigoration of
the facilities and increase in personnel at Purdue directing
efforts in propulsion, as well as in related areas of energy
and combustion. Additional details about the facilities can
be found at https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAE/Research/
ResearchFacilities/LabFacilities, https://engineering.purdue.
edu/Zucrow/index.html and in Refs. 2 and 3.
Current Research Topics
Research pertaining to propulsion is inherently multidisciplinary and therefore includes elements from numerous organizations within the Schools of Engineering and Science
at Purdue University. More than a dozen professors, specifically within the Schools of Mechanical Engineering (ME)
and Aeronautics and Astronautics (AAE), are involved with
propulsion research at Purdue. This faculty advises over 75
graduate students and postdocs in the AAE and ME departments with annual research expenditures in the $5 million/
year range. The faculty and students are supported by several staff members, including a Senior Engineer and a Technical Services Supervisor. Recently, testing and collaborative
research programs have been conducted with funding from
Rolls Royce Allison, Aerojet, Pratt & Whitney, Northrop
Grumman Space Technologies, Precision Combustion Inc.,
General Kinetics, ATK, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Stennis Space Center (SSC), Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), and Glenn Research Center (GRC),
Orbital Sciences Corporation, Air Force Office of Scientific
Research (AFOSR), Army Research Office (ARO), Office
of Naval Research (ONR), Naval Research Office (NRO),
Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense Company (EBA&D), Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and others. Liquid/
gelled, solid propellant, and airbreathing propulsion are all
being studied.
Additional information about the faculty and staff is
available on the following Web sites: https://engineering.
purdue.edu/Zucrow/People/faculty.html; https://engineering.
purdue.edu/AAE/Research/ByProfessor/Propulsion; and
https://engineering.purdue.edu/Zucrow/People/index.html.
Liquid and Gelled Propulsion
Research in liquid rocket propulsion includes studies of
the ignition and chemical kinetics of hypergolic propellants;
gelled propellants; development of a combined analyticalexperimental-computational testbed for combustion instability; and detailed computations of the hydrodynamics inside
injector elements, rocket-based combined-cycle engines,
and measurement of heat flux in a few-thousand lbf thrust
multi-element oxygen-hydrogen combustor.
Large-scale rocket studies are conducted on the 10,000
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
lbf thrust stand in the High Pressure Lab (shown in Fig. 1)
during a liquid hydrocarbon film cooling test conducted for
the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and its SBIR
contractor, Sierra Engineering. Axially- and circumferentially-resolved heat flux measurements in a seven-element
HO combustor at 1000 psia are also shown in Fig. 1; measurements like these are being used by NASA to learn how
to accurately compute the 3-D reacting flowfield inside highpressure rocket combustors.
A major effort to develop a methodology for a priori prediction of liquid rocket combustion instability comprises a
hierarchy of analysis, experiments, and computations.
Experiments using an unstable model rocket combustor
are used to validate the high-fidelity (e.g., LES) computations, and those results are used to derive reduced-order
combustion response models for use in engineering-level
models for stability prediction. This work is being conducted
for AFRL, AFOSR, and its subcontractor, INSpace. Studies
to examine the combustion stability of LOX/LCH4 engines
for NASA lunar missions are also underway.
Most recently, Purdue was awarded a MURI from ARO
for a comprehensive study of gelled propellants. The program includes the development of models for gel rheology
and internal flow, as well as studies of spray formation, hypergolic ignition, and drop burning of the gelled propellant.
The culmination of this program is the integration of these
results into a time-accurate computational model of rocket
combustor processes, ranging from flow into the injector elements to combustion product flow out the nozzle, that is validated by a benchmark experiment conducted at the Gelled
Propellant Laboratory.
Solid Propellants and Energetic Materials
Although solid propellant studies are not new to Purdue,
there has been a recent increase in solid propellant research.
Currently, there are seven graduate students working in this
area. With the development of propellant mixing, combustion, and characterization capabilities, researchers can now
systematically develop and study new solid propellants, as
well as produce standard propellants for testing. Some current projects that have been funded include a study of erosive
burning (NASA); development and characterization of a new
propellant binder system (MDA); high burning rate propellants (EBA&D); dynamic combustion of nano-aluminized
propellants (AFOSR-STTR); development and testing of
advanced propellants, including Al-ice (ALICE) propellants
(AFOSR/NASA); and aluminum droplet dynamics in realistic environments (AFOSR-STTR). Related research topics
on energetic materials, including nanoscale composite energetic materials, are actively pursued in laboratories in the
Propulsion and Combustion Buildings.
continued on page 8
Page 7
Purdue University....
University continued from page 7
Figure 2. 3-D Fan Performance CFD Analysis Conducted for a Supersonic Business Jet Flowfield (left).
On the right is an image from Purdue’s compressor research facility aimed at investigating tip leakage
effects on the last stage of a highly loaded Rolls-Royce outlet guide vane and pre-diffuser configuration.
Airbreathing Propulsion
The propulsion group at Purdue University maintains a
substantial research effort in airbreathing propulsion. Purdue also maintains the nation’s only Rolls-Royce University
Technology Center (UTC) in the area of high Mach propulsion. Ongoing UTC work involves the study of high temperature fuel systems and fuel coolant configurations to provide turbine cooling air for high Mach applications. Studies
in coking of JP fuels, endothermic potential of JP-10, fuel/
air heat exchangers, fuel system thermoacoustic instabilities,
and injection and mixing of supercritical fuels are currently
underway within the UTC. In addition, a large group within
the UTC is studying inlet and exhaust systems for supersonic
business jet applications with Rolls-Royce and partner Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. Computational studies (Fig. 2) are
being conducted on both inlet and exhaust system concepts,
and advanced configurations are being studied to enhance
propulsion system performance and to minimize noise. A
substantial test facility (BiAnnular Nozzle Rig, or BANR)
has been developed for this project to support hotfire testing
of turbofan nozzle configurations. The BANR can simulate
turbine and fan exit conditions to nozzle pressure ratios of 6
with overall flows of 30-50 lb/s.
Experimental facilities are also available for studying turbomachinery flows. A unique high-speed rotating compressor research facility has received recent driveline upgrades,
including 1400 hp motors controlled with variable frequency
drives for each of the three high-speed test cells. Current
research efforts are investigating flow through a high-performance Rolls-Royce centrifugal compressor assembly. A
gearbox featuring a gear ratio of 30:1 provides the required
52,000 rpm shaft speed. Axial compressor research is aimed
at investigating rear core performance issues, including efforts to desensitize tip leakage flows from the relatively high
clearances experienced in the geometrically small stages in
the rear of the core. The last stage of a Rolls-Royce comPage 8
pressor followed by a pre-diffuser and combustor plenum
features a highly loaded outlet guide vane and adjustable rotor tip clearance rings. The third test cell is dedicated to
investigating techniques to mitigate forced response issues
in a 3-stage compressor designed by GE-Energy.
Of course, the most important product of Purdue’s propulsion program is its well-educated and trained student body.
Purdue is one of the few schools to offer propulsion as a major field of study and courses in airbreathing and rocket propulsion at both the undergraduate and graduate level. These
unique educational opportunities provide Purdue graduates
with the tools necessary for advancing the propulsion state
of the art as professional engineers. Recognition of Purdue’s
position and impact on the field of propulsion was evidenced
last year when the University topped the Aviation Week list
of preferred institutions from which the aerospace and defense industry recruits.
References
1
Matsutomi, Y., Hein, C., Chenzhou, L., Meyer, S.E., Merkle, C., and Heister, S. D., “Facility Development for Testing
of Wave Rotor Combustion Rig,” AIAA-2007-5052, 43rd
AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and
Exhibit, Cincinnati, OH, July 8-11, 2007.
2
Pourpoint, T.L., Meyer, S.E., Ehresman, C.M., “Propulsion
Test Facilities at the Purdue University Maurice J. Zucrow
Laboratories,” AIAA 2007-5333, 43rd Joint Propulsion
Conference, July 2007.
3
Heister, S. D. et al., “Propulsion Educational and Research
Programs at Purdue University,”AIAA 2007-, 43rd Joint
Propulsion Conference, July 2007.
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
The Johns Hopkins University Sponsors
6th Annual Physics Fair!
CPIAC Joins in the Outreach Effort for Next Generation Scientists
T
he Henry A. Rowland Department of Physics and Astronomy at The Johns Hopkins University sponsored its 6th
Annual Physics Fair on Saturday, April 25, 2009, from 11:00 am until 5:30 pm. The fair featured a Balloon Rocket
Contest and more than 200 active science demonstrations,
as well as interactive astronomy exhibits and activities including
the Hubble Space Telescope exhibit. Students in elementary and
middle school as well as high school competed individually in
the Science and Physics Challenge Contests. Team competitions
similar to “It’s Academic” were offered through the Physics Bowl
and Science Bowl. Prizes were awarded for all of the events. In addition, the Maryland Space Grant Observatory was open for tours,
and visitors were able to observe sun spots and activity of the sun’s
corona using the Morris W. Offit Telescope.
Michael McPherson of Aerojet Culpeper presented his Adventures in Aerospace demonstration of various scientific principles to
fair attendees. Ably assisted by Dr. Edmund Liu, CPIAC’s director
and Zhuohan Liang, a JHU physics department graduate student,
they entertained and educated scores of young visitors.
CPIAC Director Ed Liu shows student visitors how to skewer
CPIAC staff member Patricia Szybist greeted visitors at the a balloon without popping it!
CPIAC booth and distributed bookmarks, t-shirts and NASA stickers provided by Mr. McPherson.
TDK’04™
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The TDK’04TM code uses the JANNAF methodology plus
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Accepts High Temperature NASA Thermodynamic Data
Increased Number of Kinetic Species and Reactions
Nozzle Contour Optimization Routine with Kinetics,
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CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
Copyrighted by SEA, Inc. 2009
All Rights Reserved.
Page 9
Students at the University of Colorado at Boulder Develop
Drag and Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer (DANDE)
By Kyle D. Kemble, Lee E. Jasper, and Marcin D. Pilinski
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
T
he Drag and Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer
(DANDE) is a 50-kg, spherical spacecraft being developed by students at the University of Colorado at
Boulder (CU-Boulder) through the Colorado Space Grant
Consortium (COSGC) in partnership with the Aerospace
Engineering Science Department (ASEN). The mission of
the DANDE is to provide an improved understanding of the
satellite drag environment in the lower thermosphere at low
cost.
Attempting to study the Earth’s upper atmosphere is not a
new endeavor, which is of great benefit to the team because
leaders in the field who are located in Colorado are available
to advise student efforts at the University. Project Starshine,
run out of offices in Monument, Colorado, consisted of a series of passive spheres that were monitored from the ground
to observe their orbits’ decay before reentry. The first sphere
was launched from the Shuttle Discovery during STS-96;
the next two were launched in 2001 – one during STS-108
and the other on an Athena launch vehicle. The CHAMP
(CHAllenging Mini-satellite Payload) satellite, which was
launched in 2000, is designed to study the gravity field of
Earth and has the ability to probe the Earth’s upper atmosphere for climate modeling. The images in Fig. 1 show the
radically differerent forms these satellites took on with their
intended missions.
Figure 2. Body frame of DANDE illustrating the rise of
the drag force.
show how the DANDE spacecraft identifies them. A novel
accelerometer instrument is on board that rotates navigation
grade accelerometers in and out of the ram vector producing
a sinusoidal wave of acceleration readings. By implementing
this system to register the accelerations on the satellite, the
instrument is capable of submicro-g resolution. Additionally,
the satellite is equipped with a Neutral Mass Spectrometer
(NMS) that can register the wind on orbit along with atmospheric density. DANDE, with its dual instrument approach,
is considered an active sphere and will help with the validation of the current atmospheric drag models that can vary at
present by anywhere from 300 to 800%.
Drag is one of the few disturbances that can affect satellites while in low Earth orbit (LEO) and becomes more
prominent with the increase in atmosphere as altitude decreases. Figure 3 illustrates how the altitude of the International Space Station (ISS) fell dramatically after a solar flare
hit the Earth’s atmosphere. The reason behind the solar flare
Figure 1. At left, Starshine Director Gil Moore is shown
holding a mockup of the Starshine 1 & 2 Payloads.1 At right,
illustration of the CHAMP satellite2 while on orbit.
Each of these satellites was designed with a mission to
monitor one variable of the drag equation. In the case of
Starshine, the parameter was atmospheric drag. CHAMP
monitored the upper atmosphere, effectively providing density readings. DANDE is unique in studying the lower thermosphere for the degradation of satellite orbits because it
is designed to study two important parts of the drag equation simultaneously. A basic layout of the drag equation is
shown in Fig. 2, with the individual variables called out to
1
http://nasascience.nasa.gov/missions/champ
2
http://azinet.com/starshine/index.html
Page 10
Figure 3. Orbit degradation of the ISS and the influence of
the atmosphere.
continued on page 11
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
University of Colorado at Boulder....continued from page 10
causing a loss of altitude is due to the
added energy, with the input causing
there to be a lower density and expansion of the atmosphere which greatly affects satellites in LEO. DANDE intends
to help define to what degree satellites
can be expected to lose altitude. This
type of validation is important to the
U.S. Air Force since it will help them
to acquire objects after a solar event.
Without a valid model to map off of,
the Air Force must expend significant
manpower to re-track all objects. The
other market for the data gathered by
DANDE is in the community of LEO
satellites that require a high degree of
pointing accuracy. The atmospheric
drag, if not acting at the center of gravity, will create a torque on the spacecraft, causing it to move away from its
current position.
To achieve its goals, DANDE will
make measurements at altitudes between 200 and 400 km using spacecraft
radar tracking and 2 on-board instruments. Tracking will be done through
a collaborative agreement with the U.S.
Air Force Space Command Studies
and Analysis Division (AFSPC/A9A),
which will provide high-priority precision tracking for drag. In order for
DANDE to be operationally useful as a
tracking target, it must be near-spherical, imposing challenges to the design
of the structure, power, and communication subsystems. Figure 4 is an illustration of the on-orbit configuration
that the DANDE is expected to have.
Unique learning opportunities for student engineers are provided through
these technical challenges, and excellence in engineering development is
achieved as students contextualize and
implement knowledge learned both in
the classroom and through research activities. The DANDE project benefits
students by allowing them to set requirements, design a complex system,
and finally integrate and test it.
DANDE provides a unique educational forum for teaching design and
systems engineering, but its mission is
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
Figure 4. Illustration of DANDE
configured for on-orbit operations.
also a response to government and industry needs for near-real time spaceweather and drag prediction, which
are important to both government and
industry operators of low-earth orbiting satellites with precision navigation needs. Additional government
organizations that participate in the
DANDE collaboration with CU-Boulder engineering students include the
Air Force Office of Scientific Research
(AFOSR), Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL), Naval Research Lab
(NRL), National Oceanographic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Space Weather Prediction Center, and
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
(GSFC).
The DANDE project is part of the
AFRL University Nanosat Program
(UNP), which is aimed at the development of satellite design and research
capabilities at universities as well as the
education of the future space-engineering workforce (See http://www.vs.afrl.
af.mil/UNP/). The UNP includes the
University Nanosat Competition, likened to the national championships of
satellite design. CU-Boulder’s entry
in the competition was part of the fifth
iteration that began with 30 university
proposals 2 years ago. Those initial
30 proposals were then down-selected
to a class of 10 that were funded for
a 2-year design lifetime. During this
time, the DANDE focused on the design of the spacecraft along with the
manufacture of its flight structure. This
was followed by four design reviews
that were attended by members of industry and resulted in the team receiving invaluable feedback for refinement
of the spacecraft. The final competion
review with all of the entrants was held
on January 20, 2009 in Albuquerque,
New Mexico, and after a full day of
demonstration and judging, DANDE
was announced as the winner of the
competition. Winning this competition
comes with two benefits: a guaranteed
launch to LEO and additional funding
from the AFOSR for the final integration and testing. The satellite will be
delivered by the end of the 2009 calendar year and ideally will be manifested
on a launch in the 2010 to 2011 timeframe.
Additional information on the
DANDE project may be obtained by
visiting the DANDE Web site at http://
dande.colorado.edu or by contacting
the authors: Kyle D. Kemble (Kyle.
Kemble@colorado.edu),
Integration and Testing Lead, Undergraduate
Aerospace Engineering Sciences; Lee
E. Jasper (Lee.Jasper@colorado.edu),
Project Manager, Graduate Aerospace
Engineering Sciences; and Marcin D.
Pilinski
(Marcin.Pilinski@colorado.
edu), Science Advisor, Graduate Aerospace Engineering Sciences.
Is your organization or
university engaged in
propulsion-related research
and activities that you’d like
share with our subscribers?
Submit your article to the
CPIAC Bulletin.
For more information, visit
the CPIAC Web site or contact
Editor Rosemary Dodds at
rdodds@jhu.edu.
Page 11
JANNAF Community Meets in Las Vegas for
56th JANNAF Propulsion Meeting and Joint Subcommittee Meeting
(39th SMBS, 35th PEDCS, 26th RNTS, 24th SEPS, and 17th NDES)
T
he 56th Joint Armycargo launch vehicle and
Navy-NASA-Air
Earth Departure Stage,
Force
(JANNAF)
which will carry heavy-lift
Propulsion Meeting (JPM),
payloads to space for use
39th Structures and Mechaniby exploration missions on
cal Behavior Subcommittee
the moon and beyond.
(SMBS), 35th Propellant and
After the keynote adExplosive Development and
dress, several individuals
Characterization
Subcomwere honored for their conmittee (PEDCS), 26th Rocket
tributions to the JANNAF
Nozzle Technology SubcomPropulsion
Community.
mittee (RNTS), 24th Safety (left to right) JANNAF Executive Committee Chair James L. Taylor, Dr. Robert C. Corley of the
and Environmental Protection Keynote Speaker Stephen A. Cook, and Program Chair Bruce R. Air Force Research LaboSubcommittee (SEPS), and Haskins
ratory (AFRL) at Edwards
17th Nondestructive EvaluAFB received the JANNAF
ation Subcommittee (NDES) MeetExecutive Committee (EC) Lifetime
ing was held Tuesday through Friday,
Achievement Award for his outstanding
April 14-17, 2009, at the Renaissance
support to JANNAF as well as his 50Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mr. Bruce
plus years of leadership and achieveR. Askins of NASA Marshall Space
ment in propulsion technology. Dr.
Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville,
Allan J. McDonald, retired from ATK
Alabama, chaired the meeting. Attenand now a consultant, also received the
dance was 522, with over 260 papers
Lifetime Achievement Award in recogpresented. There were 43 regular technition of his 50 years of significant connical sessions, 2 specialist sessions,
tributions to the propulsion industry, to
and 4 workshop sessions. All attendees James L. Taylor presents Dr. Robert the advancement of technology, and to
received a complimentary copy of the C. Corley of the Air Force Research the sustainment of capabilities. Dr. Mcsecond issue of the JANNAF Journal of Laboratory, Edwards AFB, with the Donald was unable to attend the meetJANNAF Executive Committee Lifetime ing; David Riemer of ATK accepted the
Propulsion and Energetics.
Achievement Award.
award on his behalf.
Certificates of Appreciation were
Program highlights included a keynote address, “The Ares Launch Ve- presented to JANNAF Session Chairs
hicles: Critical Capabilities for Amer- Mr. Frederick J. Borrell and Mr. Richica’s Continued Leadership in Space,” ard S. Muscato, both of the Naval
by Stephen A. Cook, manager of the Surface Warfare Center-Indian Head
Ares Projects at NASA MSFC. Mr. Division; Dr. Benjamin Greene of JaCook described progress on the Ares I cobs Technology, Inc.; and Dr. Tom W.
system, which will transport the Orion Hawkins of AFRL-Edwards AFB.
In addition to the regular sessions,
crew exploration vehicle into space and
deliver cargo payloads to space – key to George Hopson and Len Worlund of
the NASA Engineering and Safety
U.S. space exploration objectives.
The Ares Project Office is respon- Center (NESC) and National Instisible for the overall integration of the tute of Aerospace presented a two-day
launch vehicle system, including devel- course, “Space Propulsion Systems:
opment of a first stage derived from the Learning from the Past and Looking to
current space shuttle booster and a new the Future.” The tutorial was held April
upper stage powered by a J-2X engine. 16-17.
Keynote Stephen A. Cook takes questions The project office is also responsible for
from the audience after his presentation.
development of NASA’s future Ares V
continued on page 13
Page 12
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
JANNAF Propulsion Meeting and Joint Subcommittee Meeting....continued from page 12
56th JPM Technical Program
The JPM program consisted of 10 JPM-only sessions and
10 sessions combined with 1 or more subcommittees. Session
topics were: The Integrated High-Payoff Rocket Propulsion
Technology (IHPRPT) program, gun propulsion, technology
and manufacturing readiness levels (a specialist session),
solid propellant test methods, propellant process engineering, rocket motor technologies, tactical rocket propulsion,
Ares launch vehicles, scramjet technology, propulsion concepts for space exploration, solid rocket motor performance
prediction, missile defense / strategic propulsion, and launch
abort motor technology.
39th SMBS Technical Program
SMBS conducted five sessions independently and four
sessions with JPM and other subcommittees. Session topics were material properties and characterization, aging and
service life, technology and manufacturing readiness levels,
the business case for system health monitoring, and wireless
sensors.
Technology and manufacturing readiness levels (TRLs
and MRLs) comprised a specialist session, which was conducted jointly by JPM, PEDCS, and SMBS. In 2008, the
Department of Defense conducted a tri-service study to investigate reducing the time required to develop and qualify
new tactical rocket motors. Recommendations included the
establishment of descriptions of appropriate TRLs and MRLs
for solid propellant rocket motors, so as to assist program
planners in the early stages of development. At the workshop, various industry and government metrics of readiness
levels for energetic ingredients, propellants, case materials, nozzles, thrust vector control systems, igniters, arm-fire
devices, devices for insensitive munitions compliance, and
other aspects of solid propellant rocket motors were considered, in order to help identify technology or manufacturing
availability shortfalls that must be resolved to allow weapons
development to proceed on schedule and within budget.
The business case for system health monitoring was a
workshop. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is
funding Consensus Technology LLC to conduct a business
case study for Integrated Health Management in the chemical propulsion arena, including both solid and liquid systems. The study will require interested individuals to work
with the primary investigator, James H. MacConnell, to
evaluate the potential benefits of health management. Workshop participants established the evaluation process. Others
interested in participating may contact Mr. MacConnell at
206-524-8555.
Wireless sensors encompassed a two-day workshop. The
workshop presented case studies on the use of wireless technology to transmit sensor data, including technology to detect impact on the wing leading edge of the Space Shuttle
Orbiter. A panel discussion was held to consider the benefits
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
of wireless versus wired
sensor technology, the
current state of the art,
and obstacles to the implementation of wireless
sensors.
35th PEDCS Technical
Program
PEDCS conducted 12
sessions independently
and 10 sessions with
JPM and other subcommittees. Session topics
were green energetic
materials, environmental protection, the status
of selected propellant
ingredients, propellant
process
engineering,
technology and manufacturing readiness levels (joint specialist session – see SMBS Technical Program), solid
propellant test methods,
guns and high-gas-output devices, explosives
formulation and development, tactical rocket
propulsion, aging and
service life, liquid propellants, and novel solid
propellant ingredients.
The status of selected
propellant ingredients
constituted a special- Program Chair Bruce R. Haskins
ist session. It was one presents Certificates of Recognition
in a series of specialist to JANNAF Session Chairs, top to
sessions that have been bottom, Mr. Frederick J. Borrell
conducted at JANNAF and Mr. Richard S. Muscato of
meetings to inform the NSWC-IHD; Dr. Benjamin Greene
propulsion community of Jacobs Technology, Inc.; and Dr.
of changes and trends in Tom W. Hawkins of AFRL-Edwards
AFB.
the availability and quality of certain propellant
ingredients, which are selected on the basis of their critical
roles. Representatives of eight suppliers of propellant ingredients gave presentations that included background/history
of ingredient production, current products of interest, production capabilities with emphasis on unique technologies,
continued on page 14
Page 13
JANNAF Propulsion Meeting and Joint Subcommittee Meeting....continued from page 13
areas of expertise relative to ingredient
production, current and potential environmental issues, topics of current research and development, government
programs supported by the supplier,
reasons and circumstances regarding
any past disruption of production, future prospects or trends in production
of ingredients of interest, and contact
personnel. A critical materials update
from the 2009 meeting of The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) was
also provided.
26th RNTS and 17th NDES Technical
Program
RNTS conducted three sessions independently and five sessions with either
JPM or NDES. Session topics were the
Integrated High-Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) program;
inspection and evaluation; rocket motor
technologies; new rocket nozzle technologies; and nozzle design, test and
evaluation. The sessions on inspection
and evaluation were conducted jointly
by NDES and RNTS.
24th SEPS Technical Program
SEPS conducted three sessions independently and two sessions with
PEDCS. Session topics were green
energetic materials; environmental protection; toxicology; occupational and
environmental health; demilitarization,
reclamation and reuse technology; and
hazardous material management.
Subcommittee Panels
The PEDCS held seven panel meetings. Variability of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) was the
primary focus of the Propellant and
Explosive Process Engineering Panel
meeting. HTPB is a critically important
solid propellant ingredient. Propellant
manufacturers have encountered variations in propellant mechanical properties attributable to HTPB. In order to
more effectively deal with the variability issue, the panel plans to conduct a
HTPB Workshop at the JANNAF Propulsion Systems Hazards Subcommittee (PSHS) meeting in December 2009.
Page 14
Of particular interest to the Solid Propellant Ingredients and Formulations Panel are foreign developments
in energetic materials and energetics
databases administered by the Department of Energy (DoE). The panel also
plans to work with the Propellant and
Explosive Process Engineering Panel
in conducting a future HTPB workshop. The Chemical Test Methods
Panel decided to review the methods
in the CPIA Propellant Characterization Handbook (CPIA Publication 507)
to determine whether they are still appropriate and represent the state of the
art. The panel also reviewed recent
progress in the addition of spectral data
to CPIAC’s Propellant and Explosive
Ingredients Database. Members of the
Guns and High Gas Output Devices
Panel meeting discussed the findings of
a recent workshop on sub-scale insensitive munitions testing conducted under
The Technical Cooperation Program
(TTCP). The panel also decided to plan
for a workshop on closed bomb testing
to be conducted in conjunction with the
2010 TTCP meeting. Items of interest
expressed at the Surveillance and Aging Panel meeting were a workshop
on test methods for propellant aging, a
workshop on relations between propellant chemical and mechanical properties as they are affected by aging, application of wireless sensor technology
to surveillance, and collaboration with
the Joint Propellant Safety and Surveillance Board. Attendees at the Liquid
Propellants Panel meeting were interested in the continued need for material
compatibility studies, ground support
equipment requirements for hypergolic
bipropellants, quantity-distance criteria for liquid propellants, the status of
military specifications for hypergols,
and a study in the variability of RP-1
hydrocarbon fuel. The Energetic Materials Development Panel focused on
following the development of specifications for CL-20 and NTO. It was also
suggested that panel members look at
CPIAC’s online Propellant & Explo-
sive Ingredients Database (PEID) and
provide input to CPIAC regarding any
new ingredients that should be added.
Two RNTS panels held meetings.
Discussion topics of the Nozzle Design and Evaluation Panel included
replacement of North American Rayon
Corporation (NARC) rayon for the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor nozzle, the
nozzle erosion Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program funded by the Office of Naval Research, the need to document char and
erosion kinetics to maintain the knowledge base and archive lessons learned,
and possible paths for funding nozzle
material research and testing. Topics of
interest to the Rocket Nozzle Modeling Panel were thermo-structural modeling of tape-wrapped composite parts,
combined
aerothermal/gas-dynamic
analyses of nozzle components, and
two-phase combustion gas interaction
with nozzle materials.
The SEPS held four panel meetings,
including a combined meeting of the
Instrumentation Panel and the Range
Safety and Atmospheric Modeling
Panel. They considered various ideas
for facilitating the updating of CPIA
Publication 394 (Hazards of Chemical
Rockets and Propellants). Topics of interest to the Occupational Health and
Toxicology Panel were contribution to
and review of the proposed Green Energetic Materials Handbook (more on
this in the next paragraph), contribution
to ASTM methods for evaluating toxicity, participation in the ASTM nanomaterials group, coordination of nanomaterial environmental/safety/health
issues within the JANNAF community,
and contribution to the tri-service Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference (TRAC). Attendees at the Demilitarization, Reclamation, and Reuse
Technology Panel meeting expressed
interest in the comparative economics
of ammonium perchlorate conversion
to perchloric acid versus chlorate salts,
continued on page 16
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
JANNAF Members Enjoy Conference and Reception
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
Page 15
JANNAF Propulsion Meeting and Joint Subcommittee Meeting....continued from page 14
recovery of nitroguanidine from triple-base propellants, and
reuse of nitrocellulose from SPD 16-in. gun propellant.
Panel meetings included the Green Energetic Materials
and Environmental Protection Panel, which is governed
jointly by PEDCS and SEPS. One of the tasks discussed by
the panel is the development of a green energetic materials handbook that outlines the history of green energetics,
lessons learned, and regulatory applicability. This task may
lead to a procurement manager’s guide to green energetics
as well. Another possible task is the development of a guide
to environmental tests needed in the course of implementing new energetic materials. The guide could include a flow
chart showing the optimal progression of testing and a model
time line to indicate which tests are needed and when. Panel
members also shared information as to the best sources of
environmental property data.
Four SMBS panels also held meetings. The Structural
Analysis Panel is considering revision of CPIA Publication 612, which is a handbook of guidelines for determining rocket motor grain design margins of safety. The Defect Evaluation Panel has completed round-robin tests for
propellant defect and analog wedge fracture analyses. They
also prepared a Solid Rocket Motor Defect Summary Chart
to supplement a defect detection capabilities document developed by NDES. The Materials Properties and Characterization Panel is looking to update CPIA Publication 21
(Solid Propellant Mechanical Behavior Manual) with new
and revised testing procedures. The panel members would
also like to create a digital version of the document and to
verify that the procedures comply with NATO STANAG re-
quirements. The Service Life Panel has cosponsored two
workshops on missile system health monitoring. Additional
tasks comprise formation of a users’ group for Texchem (a
computer program that models diffusion effects within complex structures), development of guidelines for the use of
sensors in monitoring service life, and a joint workshop with
PEDCS on material properties that need to be measured for
service life characterization.
Although the Modeling and Simulation Subcommittee
(MSS) did not have a full meeting at this time, its Solid
Rocket Motor Performance Prediction and Standardization Panel met. The panel decided to collect BATES motor
firing data conducted at AFRL as well as test data from the
Tullahoma range, to create a database for comparison with
predictions. The panel also agreed upon physical phenomena that need to be better understood and modeled to improve
prediction. The next step is to identify specific models and
down-select for validation.
Meeting Proceedings
Meeting proceedings will be available soon on CD-ROM.
Qualified customers may contact CPIAC at 410-992-7300 or
by e-mail to cpiac@cpiac.jhu.edu for more information or to
order the proceedings.
Future Plans
The next joint meeting of these subcommittees is planned
for November or December 2010. The next JPM, which will
include the Modeling and Simulation, Liquid Propulsion,
and Spacecraft Propulsion Subcommittees, is tentatively
scheduled for May 2010.
JANNAF Journal of Propulsion and Energetics
Submit your papers that are export controlled to the
JANNAF Journal
Deadline for next issue (Vol. 3): July 30, 2009
Need more information?
Visit www.jannaf.org
Page 16
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
Motor Test Firings for Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion
Technology Program (IHPRPT) Prove Successful
T
wo successful demonstration
motor firings – one by Alliant
Techsystems (ATK) and the
other by Aerojet – occurred recently
in support of the U.S. Air Force’s Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) program,
Phase II. While ATK’s motor firing
took place at the ATK Space Systems,
T-6 Test Facility in Promontory, Utah,
Aerojet conducted its test at the Air
Force Research Laboratory, Edwards
AFB, Calif. AFRL oversees the IHPRPT program, with participation
from industry, to advance technologies and materials to meet the goals
established for increased motor performance and improved mass fraction,
while reducing cost.
ATK and the AFRL successfully
tested a developmental solid rocket
motor, designated Phase II, on December 12, 2008, culminating an
eight-year development and production effort. The data and technology
from this test will help develop even
more robust solid rocket motors with
high energy propellants, lighter components (including next-generation
cases and nozzles), and lower production costs.
Reduced weight and increased motor energy are key factors to increasing rocket motor performance. Incorporated in the Phase II motor was a
higher performance composite case,
low-cost improved insulation material, a unique trap-ball nozzle joint,
and upgraded material on the liner of
the nozzle’s exit cone. The Phase II
motor contained more than 2,000 lbs
of high-energy propellant that was
packaged in a 37-in.-dia. composite
case and produced more than 19,900
lbf throughout the approximate 30-sec
duration of the test.
Just a few months later on March
11, 2009, Aerojet and the AFRL successfully conducted, at simulated altitude conditions, a static test of Aerojet’s Technology Assessment Motor
(TAM) in support of the IHPRPT
Phase II program. Aerojet’s TAM design incorporates numerous advanced
technologies and materials to demonstrate achievement of the Phase II performance goals for solid propulsion
rocket motors to include increasing
motor performance by 4 percent and
improving mass fraction by 25% while
at the same time providing a 25% reduction in hardware and operational
and support costs. In order to meet
these goals, Aerojet’s TAM configuration uses new technologies, materials
and fabrication processes, including
6,380 lbm of high-energy solid propellant loaded in a composite case that
uses environmentally benign resin and
a supersonic splitline flexseal nozzle
(SSFN) with a domestically produced
Triaxially-Braided C/C Exit Cone. Orbital Sciences Corporation integrated
a new modular electrical-mechanical
thrust vector control actuation (EM
TVA) system by using Moog-supplied
EM actuators and a digital controller. The unique SSFN represented the
highest payoff component to be evaluated because it enabled increased motor performance and mass fraction as
well as enhanced Thrust Vector Control (TVC) capability for upper stage
strategic propulsion systems. It was
the first full-scale, long-duration, altitude static test of this technology as
part of the IHPRPT program.
During the 42-sec static firing,
the 46-in.-dia. TAM achieved a peak
thrust of more than 48,000 lbf. Initial
post-test inspection indicated that all
components, including the supersonic
Courtesy of ATK
Editor’s Note: The initial publication of this article on May 5, 2009 contained inaccurate statements, which have been corrected in the version published below.
IHPRPT Phase II Demonstration Motor
Static Test conducted December 12, 2008
at the ATK Space Systems, T-6 Test Facility,
Promontory, Utah.
flexseal nozzle, propellant grain, insulated composite case, igniter, and
TVA, successfully met performance
goals.
Technologies that are developed
from the IHPRPT program can be
transferred to other motor programs
that currently exist or develop in the
future. Developments from an IHPRPT
Phase I motor that ATK and AFRL
successfully tested eight years ago
have been incorporated in both strategic and commercial solid rocket motor
programs.
The Phase II development program
is headed by the IHPRPT Steering
Committee and is comprised of representatives from DoD and NASA organizations.
This article includes excerpts from the following press releases: ATK New Release (12/12/2008), “ATK and AFRL Successfully Test
Development Motor for Innovative High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology Program,” and Aerojet News Release (03/25/2009),
“Aerojet’s Advanced Technology Demonstration Motor Successfully Tested by Air Force.” All of the information contained herein has
been approved for public release and is published with permission from AFRL, ATK, and Aerojet.
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
Page 17
In Memoriam
Dr. Russell Reed Jr., Energetic Materials Scientist
Dr. Russell Reed Jr. passed away on
April 8, 2009 in Santa Barbara, California,
at the age of 86 after
a short illness. Born
on Dec. 25, 1922 to
parents Ruby and
Russell Reed Sr. in
Glendale, California, he grew up in
Santa Monica and
attended UCLA for
Dr. Russell Reed, Jr.
both undergraduate
and doctoral degrees, earning his Ph.D.
in chemistry in 1946. He married Leslie
Parry Reed in 1956. They were married
for 50 years.
Dr. Reed worked as a chemist at Rocket
Power in Mesa, Arizona, at Thiokol, Inc.
in Utah, and at the China Lake Naval
Weapons Center, where he worked for 35
years, attaining the title of Senior Research
Scientist in the Aerothermochemistry
(later the Research) Division. His
areas of interest included heterocyclic
organic compounds, chemical processes,
improved polymeric binders, recyclable
and energetic binders, gun and rocket
propellant formulations, nanofuels,
coated oxidizers and coating techniques,
fluorine compounds, pyrotechnics, gas
generators, inert simulants for energetic
materials and moisture barriers and soil
conditioners. Dr. Reed was author or coauthor on over 100 publications, a similar
number of patents, and innumerable
presentations and tutorials. He was
awarded a Senior Fellowship at China
Lake and also received the William B.
Mclean Award. He worked until health
issues caused his retirement at age 77.
Dr. Reed is survived by his son
Russell Laurence Reed, daughter Ellen
Frederick A. Boorady, Liquid Propulsion Expert
Courtesy of AIAA
Mr. Frederick A. Boorady, 2007
recipient of the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
Wyld Propulsion Award, passed away on
November 4, 2008, while on his way to
vote with his wife, Marilyn. He was 78.
Mr. Boorady began his propulsion
career when he joined Bell Aerospace
Company in 1952. He stayed with the
firm throughout its history of acquisition by Textron, Inc., Atlantic Research Mr. Fred Boorady (center) receives the Wyld
Propulsion Award from General Conference
Corporation (ARC), and, finally, Aerojet. Chair John Blanton at the 43rd AIAA Joint
Boorady worked in the design, analysis, Propulsion Conference in 2007. On left, AIAA
project engineering, systems engineer- President Paul Nielsen.
ing, and technical management of liquid
rocket engines and systems, including, among others, the Bell X-1, the Agena Engine
Program, the Gemini Program, the Lunar Excursion Module Ascent Engine, Minuteman III, and the United Kingdom’s Polaris Sea-Launched Ballistic Missile.
Mr. Boorady was awarded the U.S. Air Force’s System Command Award in 1964 for
outstanding achievement for his technical leadership in the Gemini-Agena Program,
and was selected by the Air Force as one of the Founding Fathers of the Minuteman
Missile Program. He was recognized as ARC’s longest tenured employee in 1999
and, most recently, received the AIAA Wyld Propulsion Award for his multiple
contributions to the development of numerous liquid propulsion technologies as well
as his efforts in developing and fielding multiple liquid propulsion systems.
In addition to his wife, survivors include 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 1 great
grandchild.
Page 18
Reed Evans (Brendon), and three
grandchildren. He was preceded in death
by his wife Leslie P. Reed, his son James
Reed, and daughter Rosanna Reed.
Memorials may be made to the
UCLA Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, 607 Charles E. Young
Drive East, Box 951569, Los Angeles,
CA, 90095-1569.
Dr. Ralph Roberts, Navy Scientist
Dr. Ralph Roberts, a Navy scientist
who specialized in advanced energy and
propellants, passed away on January 23,
2009 at the Carriage Hill of Bethesda retirement facility, Bethesda, Maryland. He
was 93.
Dr. Roberts was born Ralph Rabenovets in Bridgeton, New Jersey. He received his bachelor’s degree and his Ph.D.
in chemistry from Catholic University.
During World War II, Dr. Roberts
worked for the Navy in Annapolis, Maryland. He joined the Office of Naval Research in 1946 and served as the head
of its London branch in 1955 and 1956
before eventually becoming the director
of the power research branch. While at
the Office of Naval Research, Roberts
worked closely with a number of prominent scientists, including two who went
on to win Nobel prizes. He retired in
1974.
After his retirement from the Office of
Naval Research, Roberts worked for Mitre Corporation, an independent, not-forprofit corporation that supports scientific
and technical research for various government organizations. In 1982 he was
the principal author of a technical book
about industrial electrochemistry.
Dr. Roberts was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS) and a member of the
American Chemical Society and the
Electrochemical Society.
His wife of 62 years, Ruth Drapen
Roberts, died in 2002. He is survived by
his two children, two granddaughters,
and a brother.
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
FULFILLING NASA’S EXPLORATION MISSION
Stennis focuses on helium conservation
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center LAGNIAPPE,Volume 3, Issue 9 (September
2008). It is republished in its entirety with NASA’s permission for this issue of the CPIAC Bulletin.
Helium is widely abundant in the
worldwide availability of the element
and perhaps sooner than many expect.
universe – second only to hydrogen –
decreases with the rising industrial
So, with substitution of another
but on planet Earth, the supply is tight, demand. Indeed, although plans are for element impossible at this rime, users
a cause for concern to space engineers. Stennis to complete testing of space
of helium are left with two major
shuttle main engines for the remaining options – recapture the element for
Helium is used in various fields,
missions next summer, engineers at
reuse and learn to conserve.
from the party balloon industry to the
the
facility
already
are
gearing
up
manufacturing of microchips, from
Recapturing helium may be possible
to test the next generation of NASA
arc welding to nuclear science and
in the test complex at Stennis, but
from laser surgery to deepit is not yet known if it can
sea diving. It is particularly
be done effectively. “We also
important to the American
would have to determine if there
space industry.
would be an adequate return
on the investment to outfit the
“Most U.S. rocket engines
test facilities for the process,
are powered by liquid
assuming readily adaptable,
hydrogen and liquid
industry proven solutions exist
oxygen,” explained Kerry
to begin with,” noted Shamin
Klein, operations division
Rahman, deputy director of the
chief in the Engineering and
Engineering and Test Directorate
Test Directorate at NASA’s
at Stennis.
John C. Stennis Space
Center. “Helium is important
Short-term, then, the focus at
in that process because it is
Robert Helveston, a Jacobs NTOG Group mechanical Stennis is on conservation. The
a noble – or inert – gas that
technician III, monitors a helium delivery to the high-pressure current emphasis is on evaluating
does not react with any other gas facility at Stennis. As the nation’s helium supply tightens, processes to make sure there is
Stennis engineers are focusing on conservation.
element. It also is the only
no overuse.
gas that does not freeze in
Helium conservation at Stennis is
the presence of liquid hydrogen. So,
rocket engines – the J-2X and RSmost basically accomplished through
it’s used to purge systems to make sure 68B. That engine will help power the
minimizing leaks in test systems.
there are no flammable materials or
Ares I and Ares V rockets, which are
Engineers at the rocket engine test
gases present before introducing liquid the centerpiece of the Constellation
facility also are working to minimize
hydrogen into them.”
Program, NASA’s initiative to go back the use of helium through more
Those properties make helium a
to the moon and possibly beyond.
efficient valving procedures. Even as
critical part of the rocket engine
those steps are taken, a special team
This means Stennis’ need for helium
testing process at Stennis. It is perfect
surely will continue – and the looming of NASA engineers and contractors
for pressurizing the more volatile and
recently engaged in structured
shortage is a concern because there
reactive liquid hydrogen used in tests,
brainstorming of potential options,
is no way to generate helium or a
and for the high-level purging that
biosynthetic alternative to the element. Rahman said. In addition to several
keeps rocket engine test systems at
technical mitigation possibilities, team
The helium that exists on Earth has
Stennis free from contamination.
members also have suggested what
built up for billions of years from the
Each year, Stennis uses more than 22
million scf (standard cubic feet) of
helium, a total second only to NASA’s
Kennedy Space Center in Florida,
where helium is used in shuttle
launches.
Helium is a valuable commodity at
Stennis – and growing more so as the
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
decay of natural uranium and thorium.
The decaying process is very slow,
enough so that more than one
scientist has described helium as
“nonrenewable and irreplaceable.”
In the meantime, demand for helium
grows – as does the price users must
pay. Experts agree an end is coming
Rahman considers a parallel necessary
step – raising general awareness of the
issue.
As Klein explained, the equation is
simple. “We need to conserve helium
because the largest supply in the world
is being depleted faster than we are
generating it,” he emphasized.
Page 19
Spotlight on SBIRs/SBTTs
Maryland Company Develops Optimization Tool to Generate
Reduced-order Kinetics Models for Scramjet Applications
By P. Gokulakrishnan, D. S. Viehe, M. S. Klassen, and R. J. Roby
Combustion Science & Engineering, Inc., Columbia, Maryland
Combustion Science & Engineering (CSE), Inc. is an engineering consulting and research and development company
that specializes in a range of combustion and fire related areas including CFD modeling of turbo machinery components,
reactive flow simulation of combustors, and fire protection.
CSE also has experimental facilities for small and large scale
combustion and fire experiments. CSE has been working on
several projects funded by the U.S. Department of Defense
for the U.S. Air Force. The current work was supported by a
Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) from the Office
of the Secretary of Defense to develop a kinetics modeling
tool for the reactive flow simulation of scramjets using hydrocarbon fuels. Dr. Dan Risha of the U.S. Air Force Research
Laboratory (AFRL) was the program manager of this project.
CSE collaborated with Professor Suresh Menon of Georgia
Tech and Professor Robert Pitz of Vanderbilt University on
this work.
As part of this project, CSE has conducted laboratory scale
kinetics experiments to measure the ignition delay time of jet
fuels such as JP-7, JP-8, and synthetic jet fuel, S-8. These
experimental data were used to validate the detailed surrogate
kinetics mechanism for kerosene-type jet fuel, which was also
developed by CSE (Gokulakrishnan et al., 2007). The detailed
kinetics mechanism was used to generate ignition delay time
data necessary for the optimization of reduced-order kinetics models developed in the current work. Professor Menon
developed a scramjet test facility at Georgia Tech to perform
flameholding experiments at Mach 2.5. Professor Pitz developed Raman diagnostics techniques for species measurements
in high speed flows at the scramjet test facility. These experimental data are useful for the model validation of the reactive
flow simulation of scramjets.
Currently, hydrogen-fueled propulsion, because of its rapid
burning and high mass-specific energy, is preferred for hypersonic air-breathing engines with flight Mach numbers of 10 or
greater. Liquid hydrocarbon fuels become viable alternatives
to hydrogen at Mach numbers below 10, and are desirable because of their greater fuel densities and endothermic cooling
capabilities. However, liquid hydrocarbon fuels pose an inherent difficulty for flame holding under high speed supersonic
flows due to their long ignition delay times and shorter stability window for blow-out relative to hydrogen. Thus, one of
the difficulties in the reactive flow simulation of scramjets is
the development of a reduced order kinetics model which is
capable of predicting the non-equilibrium, transient kinetics
processes ,such as ignition and blow-out. As part of this project, CSE has developed optimization software, known as the
Page 20
reduced kinetics model generator (rkmGen), for reaction rate
parameter estimation and optimization of reduced order kinetics models for scramjet applications. The optimization procedure uses the ignition delay time as the target data to estimate
the reaction rate parameters of a given reaction. This modeling tool can be used to generate reduced kinetics mechanisms
of different sizes (and hence different utility and accuracy) by
calibrating against ignition delay time data for a given fuel.
The rkmGen can also be used to optimize the reduced kinetics mechanism over a wide range of temperatures, pressures,
and equivalence ratios. A stochastic optimization algorithm
known as the Simulated Annealing was implemented in C++
and coupled with Cantera, a chemical kinetics software, to automate the reduced kinetics mechanism generation process.
The oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels such as kerosene involve thousands of reactions and hundreds of species that
would constitute a ‘detailed’ kinetics model. However, coupling of a large detailed kinetics model with transport equations to solve for heat, mass, and momentum is computationally expensive for CFD simulation of practical devices.
The bulk of the computational time is spent on resolving
the source term of the species that is defined by a set of stiff
ODEs. Therefore, using a reduced order kinetics model will
drastically reduce the simulation time. However, the utility of
the reduced order model will be limited relative to a detailed
kinetics model. The optimization software developed in this
STTR can be used to tune reaction rate parameters so that
the reduced order model will have high fidelity during CFD
simulation. For example, a two-step kerosene reduced kinetics model can be given by:
C11H22 + 11 O2 => 11 CO + 11 H2O
(1)
CO + 0.5 O2 = CO2
(2)
The reaction rate parameters for reaction (1) were estimated using rkmGen by performing optimization over 1000K
to 2400K temperature range and 0.1atm to 10atm pressure
range. Figure 1 shows the model predictions of a two-step,
kerosene reduced kinetics model predictions for ignition delay time compared with target data generated from a detailed
kerosene mechanism.
As can be seen in Fig. 1, a two-step reduced kinetics model
is sufficient to predict stable flame properties. However, for
CFD simulation of transient processes, such as flame blow-out,
additional reaction steps are needed. For this purpose, CSE
developed and implemented a slightly larger reaction scheme
continued on page 21
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
Figure 1. Ignition delay time predictions of the reduced model
generated by rkmGen (lines) compared with detailed model
predictions (symbols).
Figure 2. Average cavity flame temperature as a function
of fuel flow rate predicted by the CFD simulation compared
with experimental data of Rasmussen et al. (2004) at Mach 2.
Maryland Company Develops Optimization Tool.... continued from page 20
for ethylene oxidation to predict blow-out
conditions in a scramjet cavity flameholder.
In a simplification of the actual process, the
fuel decomposition steps can be modeled as
a single reaction via:
C2H4 + O2 => 2 CH2O
(3)
Formaldehyde is one of the intermediates
of hydrocarbon oxidation. The subsequent
formaldehyde oxidation was modeled with
a detailed reaction scheme. The reaction
rate parameters for reaction (3) can be estimated from rkmGen for given conditions.
The ethylene reduced order kinetics model
that has 14 species and 44 reactions was
implemented in a commercial CFD code to
simulate the cavity flameholder experimental conditions of Rasmussen et al. (2004) at
Mach 2.0 using a RANS turbulence model.
Also, this mechanism was used to simulate
the AFRL Cell-18 scramjet test facility opFigure 3. Instantaneous temperature profile from the CFD simulation of Cell-18
erating at Mach 2.2. Figure 2 shows the
scramjet combustor at Mach 2.2.
stable, lean blow-out (LBO) and rich blowout (RBO) fuel flow rates predictions in the
cavity Flameholder simulation, and compared with experi- Works Cited
mental values reported by Rasmussen et al. (2004) at Mach
2.0. Figure 3 show the instantaneous temperature profile in Gokulakrishnan, P., Gaines, G., Currano, J., Klassen, M. S., and
scramjet combustor in AFRL Cell-18 predicted by detailed Roby, R. J., “Experimental and Kinetic Modeling of KeroseneType Fuels at Gas Turbine Operating Conditions,” Journal of Enand reduced kinetics models.
The rkmGen is a valuable optimization tool to generate re- gineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 129, 655-663 (2007).
duced order kinetics models for reactive flow simulations of Rasmussen, C. C., Driscoll, J. F., Hsu, K. -Y., Donbar, J. M., Gruscramjets. Similarly, rkmGen can be used to generate reduced ber, M. R., and Carter, C. D., “Stability Limits of Cavity-Stabilized
order kinetics models for sub-sonic combustion applications Flames in Supersonic Flow,” in Proc. of the Combustion Institute,
as well.
30, 2825-2833 (2004).
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
Page 21
Propulsion News Highlights
Courtesy JAXA
Success for Second H-IIB Rocket First Stage Firing
Source: JAXA (4-22-09)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) performed the second captive firing
test for the first stage flight model tank of the MHI H-IIB rocket on
22 April 2009 at the Tanegashima Space Center. This September,
JAXA plans to launch its H-IIB Transfer Vehicle resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station using the H-IIB rocket.
Full press release: http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/04/20090422_
cft_e.html
Bigelow Wins Ruling Against Government
Technology Export Practices
Source: The Economist (4-22-09)
Static test firing of H-IIB main engines.
For many years, parts of America’s space industry have complained that the rules governing the export of technology are too strict, resulting in rules that favor “lumbering dinosaurs
such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing...rather than nimble but small ‘furry mammals’ that need every customer they can
get.” Bigelow Aerospace, which is trying to develop inflatable space hotels, filed a challenge to these rules in 2007 because
it “disputed the government’s claim that foreign passengers travelling on a spaceship or space station were involved in a
transfer of technology.” The courts ruled in favor of Bigelow’s position in February. Robert Dickman, executive director of
the AIAA, says the decision appears to convey a new willingness to “move away from the very restrictive approach that has
been in place for almost a decade.”
Full press release: http://www.economist.com/science/tm/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13525115
These excerpts have been taken from press releases approved for public release and reprinted with permission.
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CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
32nd Rocket Test Group (RTG) Meets at
NASA White Sands Test Facility
The Rocket Test Group's 32nd Meeting occurred April
28th and 29th at the NASA White Sands Test Facility
(WSTF) in New Mexico. The group of rocket test facilities
operators and engineers met for their typical 2-day meeting
of presentations and tours of the test facilities. Engineers
from the industry, government, military, and universities
met together to discuss topics of interest to the testing
community, including new testing facilities and facility
features; designs and design approaches; problems with
tests or testing practices; operational safety procedures; accidents and incidences;
and lessons learned. Tours of the test stands included the new facilities under
construction for the Orion Abort Flight Tests, located on the White Sands Missile
Test Range.
As a special addition to this meeting, WSTF's Oxygen Group provided a 1.5day training course on “Fire Hazards in Oxygen Systems” after the meeting. This
class is offered through ASTM and is aimed at those who design oxygen systems.
For more information on the RTG, please refer to www.rockettestgroup.org.
RTG members at NASA WSTF’s 401 Test
Stand.
1st National Capital Region Energetics Symposium Held in Southern Maryland
G
overnment Agencies, along with
academia and industry partners,
gathered in Southern Maryland at
the first National Capital Region Energetic
Symposium (NCRES) to promote
collaboration and communication with the
end result to support the warfighter and
sailor.
A diverse crowd of 184 people attended
the first NCRES held on 27-28 April, at the
College of Southern Maryland in La Plata.
Attendance represented 16 government
organizations, 4 universities, and 10
industry partners.
The NCRES was co-hosted by the Indian
Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare
Center (IHDIV) along with the Energetics
Technology Center and the University of
Maryland Center for Energetic Concepts
Development.
During the two day symposium,
attendees heard over 40 presentations,
with keynote addresses given by RADM
Millard Firebaugh, USN (ret.), VADM
Ronald Route, USN (ret.), and Mr. Stephen
Mitchell, the Technical Director of the
Naval Surface Warfare Center.
In his keynote address, Rear Admiral
Firebaugh challenged the community to
develop energetics developed specifically
for unmanned vehicles. During this address
he asked the energetics community to work
together with the warfighters to "imagine
new capabilities and try to discover how
the science can serve those imaginings."
Presentations during the symposium
addressed topics such as insensitive
munitions,
weaponizing
unmanned
vehicles, and new energetic materials
for weapons systems. Presentations
were given by researchers from IHDIV,
Army Research Laboratory (ARL),
Armament Research Development and
Engineering Center (ARDEC), the IHDIV
(Earle Detachment) Packaging Handling
Shipping Transportation Center, Univ. of
Maryland, Penn. State University, New
Jersey Institute of Technology, and the
Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich
(Germany).
During the event, Penn. State professor
Dr. Kenneth Kuo was presented with a
lifetime achievement award by NSWC
Technical Director Stephen Mitchell. Dr.
Kuo was recognized for his achievements
in developing energetic materials for
gun propellants, and mentoring over 100
student researchers in the energetics field
during his career.
IHDIV develops, researches, produces,
tests, and evaluates a wide variety of DoD
systems operating on land, air and sea.
IHDIV's largest area of expertise is the
field of energetic materials, which are in
use in items from torpedoes to rockets to
ejection seats.
The Professional Development Council
(PDC) is a team of non-management
individuals from IHDIV. They serve a
term of nine months in which many aspects
of their professional and personal lives are
enriched. This is accomplished through
leadership exercises, community service, a
corporate project, social events, shadowing
management activities and much more. This
year the PDC’s corporate project was to
hold a National Capital Region Energetics
Symposium. The event was a huge success
and was a great learning experience for
these young professionals.
Hoping to share items of interest with the Propulsion Community?
Send your news to bulletin@cpiac.jhu.edu.
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
Page 23
Complete Your Collection
Volumes 1 and 2 of the JANNAF Journal are now available
Technical areas covered in Volume 1
include Solid Propellants and Combustion,
Scramjet Propulsion, Gel Technology,
Underwater Propulsion, and Explosive
Performance and Enhanced Blast.
The latest edition of the Journal,
Volume 2, was released in April, 2009.
Technical areas covered in this volume
include Solid Propulsion Technology,
Scramjet Propulsion, Electric
Propulsion, and Explosives Technology.
Phone:
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Page 24
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No.3, May 2009
CPIAC Bulletin/Vol. 35, No. 3, May 2009
Page 25
Calendar of JANNAF Meetings
JANNAF 43rd Combustion Subcommittee (CS)/
31st Airbreathing Propulsion Subcommittee (APS)/
25th Propulsion Systems Hazards Subcommittee (PSHS) Joint Meeting
Date: December 7-11, 2009
Location: La Jolla, CA
57th JANNAF Propulsion Meeting/
7th Modeling and Simulation /
5th Liquid Propulsion /
4th Spacecraft Propulsion Joint Subcommittee Meeting
Dates and Location: To be determined
For additional information on the above JANNAF meetings, contact CPIAC
Meeting Planner Pat Szybist at 410-992-7302, ext. 215, or or by e-mail to pats@jhu.edu.
Visit the JANNAF Web site at www.jannaf.org for meeting updates.
Policy on Non-Government Attendees at JANNAF Meetings. Attendance at JANNAF meetings for non-government employees is restricted to U.S. citizens
only and whose organizations are 1) registered with the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) AND 2) have a government contract registered with the
Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). If the government contract is not registered with DTIC, the attendee’s registration form can be certified by a
sponsoring government official from one of the participating JANNAF agencies. Additional information concerning registrations with DLIS and DTIC can be
obtained by contacting DLIS at 1-800-352-3572 (www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp/) or DTIC at 1-800-225-3842 (www.dtic.mil/dtic/registration/index.html).
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of our products.
But it helps.
340 East Church Road • King of Prussia, PA 19406
Phone: 610-279-2340
Fax: 610-279-6605; E-mail: machi@machichemicals.com