Study of a hybrid gas generator for a ducted rocket

Abstract

A performance analysis and experimental study of a hybrid gas generator to be used in a ducted rocket are presented. Such a system exhibits potential advantages with regard to safety, performance, costs, availability of the fuel components, storability, and thrust control. A combination of a paraffin wax fuel and oxygen in the gas generator ensures a high regression rate and reveals oxidizer-to-fuel ratios as low as 0.14 in the gas generator (compared to the stoichiometric ratio of 3.4). A fuel regression rate correlation versus the oxidizer mass flux is derived, presenting a major advantage for the fuel flow rate management in comparison to control of the solid propellant gas generator burning rate through the pressure exponent, which requires mechanical interference with the hot nozzle flow to ensure a change in the combustor pressure and a corresponding change in the burning rate. Evaluation of the ducted rocket (with different oxidizers) versus pure ramjet performance shows a higher specific thrust for the former, though the latter exhibits a higher specific impulse.