Rocket Propulsion Research

A facility, Purdue University Rocket Propulsion and Power Laboratory (PURPPL), has been developed at the Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories to test lab-scale hybrid propulsion systems. Current tests include concentrated hydrogen peroxide (80-88%) as an oxidizer and polyethylene as a fuel. Over 100 successful firings have been conducted within the past five years using this facility. Current testing focuses on the effects of chamber pressure, polyethylene composition, mass flux, and aft-combustion chamber mixing length on fuel regression, combustion efficiency, and combustion stability characteristics. Combustion efficiencies over 90% have been obtained with stable, smooth combustion characteristics and minimal axial variations in regression. A new ignition system has been developed using a consumable catalytic bed which provides reliable, reproduceable ignition using stabilized hydrogen peroxide even under conditions where the engine is ``slam-started''.