ISBN 9783843946766

978-3-8439-4676-6, Reihe Raumfahrt

Christian Anton Bauer
Design and Test of Resonance Ignition Systems for Methane/Oxygen In-Space Propulsion Systems

148 Seiten, Dissertation Technische Universität München (2020), Softcover, A5

Zusammenfassung / Abstract

Replacing classical, hypergolic bipropellants with non-toxic, green propellants such as methane/oxygen, creates major challanges regarding the ignition of in-space propulsion systems. In the presented work a combination of numerical and experimental methods is used to develop resonance ignition systems for methane/oxygen thruster applications. Based on a simplified single-species fluid the characteristics of a reference resonator are established. When operated with air at ambient temperature, surface temperatures in excess of 1000 K can be generated, which are sufficiently high to ignite methane/oxygen mixtures. Additionally, a supersonic GOX/GCH4 injector, tailored towards the desired operating conditions and the investigated resonator, constitutes the most important part of the implemented ignition system. By using methane/oxygen at ambient temperatures as resonance gas it is verified experimentally, that the developed igniter design can successfully ignite the propellants.