Abstract
The performance of a diode laser igniter as a restart-capable device has been assessed for single-port, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/gaseous oxygen (GOX) hybrid motors. For this testing a prototype version of the igniter has been designed and implemented as a substitute to a traditional methane/GOX torch ignition system. Ignition tests have been conducted at atmospheric ambient conditions using an experimental single-port motor setup. Using three PMMA fuel grains, a total of 46 successful motor ignitions and restarts were achieved. These tests were conducted using a single multimode diode laser with an output power of 10.84Wand a nominal pulse length of 1 s. In addition, a total of 24 successful ignitions and restarts were demonstrated in a vacuum chamber with the same prototype igniter on a flight-scalePMMA/GOXmotor under development for smallsat applications. The ignition transient is compared against baseline results from a torch ignition system for atmospheric tests, and the ignition delay performance is considered across all tests.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 773-782 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Propulsion and Power |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2020 |