Polytechnique Montreal

Published purpose

Access to space is of critical importance to a broad range of fields of science and industry, including space exploration and telecommunications. However, launching remains a complex and expensive task. There is a need to reduce the cost of access to space by finding novel means of propulsion. The purpose of this project is to develop a simple and low-cost mean to test how liquefying solid fuels burn under the conditions encountered in a hybrid rocket engine. A novel laboratory-scale facility will be developed for the investigation of the fluid properties of the melt layer formed on the surface of rocket fuel as it burns. The experiment will focus on the development of new propellant formulations for hybrid engines.