Starting Transient Experiments in the MEC-80 Rocket Engine Scaled Ignition Device

Abstract

One of the main sources of concern within the design and manufacturing of rocket engines is the starting device, due to the relatively low reliability of the ignition of the main combustion process in these engines. Not only is necessary for the igniter to produce a sound ignition, but the starting pressure transient should manifest a tightly controlled build-up, in a very definite time interval. A specific research and development work was done by the authors in order to reliably assess the requirements for the ignition device of the newly developed compound, solid-liquid experimental rocket engine MEC-80 of the ADDA team. Computer predictions and scaled experiments on the constant volume combustion into a modified calorimeter were performed with notable results that led to the optimal design of the ignition device of the motor. The test results are presented with emphasize on the predictability of the ignition delay.