Leading Studies of the Staged Combustion Hybrid Rocket

Abstract

The staged combustion hybrid rocket is under development by our research group since 1999. This hybrid rocket engine consists of two combustion chambers. The primary combustion chamber is the fuel tank itself filled with granular solid fuels. The fuel rich gas generated by the first stage combustion flows into the secondary combustion chamber, which is located in the bottom of the primary combustion chamber. The additional oxidizer is injected to the secondary combustion chamber in order to attain an optimal specific impulse by completing combustion. There are two types of the primary combustion. One is nicknamed as the incinerator type; the other is called the multi-grain type. This new type engine is featured with a wide range throttling capability and an extensive freedom in selecting the fuel material. This paper deals with the incinerator type. Presented are preliminary experiments as well as the systems description.