Abstract
The High Pressure Earth Storable Rockct Technology (HIPES) Basic Program was conducted due to the potential for higher performance at high pressure and the reduced length and volume of the engine. It has become clear that the higher pressure engine is the only method of using high performance engines due to volume and length constraints on lightsat spacecraft applications. System studies reviewed potential applications of NASA, DOD and commercial spacecraft to assess uses for the HlPES engine. Pressure-fed and pump-fed systems for these applications were studied using both N204-N2& and N 2 0 4 W . The Nz04-N2H4 system indicated it provided the maximum payload for large, medium and lightsat satellites. The major benefits of the HIPES engine are high performance within a confined length resulting in maximization of payload for lightsats which are both length and volume constrained. The nominal engine design based on systedengine requirements follows: Propellants N~OCNZH~ Thrust F,) 50 Ibf Chamber Pressure (Pc) 500 psia Specific Impulse (Isp,) 330 sec Nozzle Expansion (E) 150 A design was developed for the HlPES engine consisting of a workhorse copper heatsink, watercoded and rhenium thrust chambers with the flexible TRW pintle injector. The engine hardware was fabricated and tested to establish engine performance and thermal characteristics at various chamber pressures at constant thrust. Very high performance was achieved with thermal characteristics compatible with rhenium engine operation. Combustion efficiency of 98.5% (ODE C*) was achieved and based on TDK Cf (including boundary layer losses) indicated a specific impulse (Isp,) of 337 Ibf-secflbm (~=150). 'd
Published Version
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