Draco

Propellant feed system
Purpose: Safely and consistently test fire our liquid rocket engines locally
MOP: 1300 psi
Propellants: One cryogenic propellant (LOX) and one ambient propellant (ethanol)

Status

We have finished the design of the system, fundraised enough money to purchase all components, have ordered all of the required components, and have begun assembly. This system is a 2022 College of Engineering Philanthropy Council Award Recipient, which funded the majority of this project, and received a Blue Origin Sponsorship, Fusion by Stoke Space Sponsorship, and Valworx Sponsorship. We are targeting the first test-fire of this system during the spring of 2024.

My Role

Created a piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) that balances safety, simplicity, and part count
Developed a comprehensive bill of materials (BOM), ensuring each of the over 125 components were rated to the system’s operating conditions of 1300 pounds per square inch and -297 degrees Fahrenheit
Coordinated with over 10 suppliers to source components and ensure we were getting an appropriately priced part
Constructed an Excel spreadsheet to calculate pressure loss through the system
Programmed a MATLAB Graphical User Interface (GUI) to read live data from pressure transducers, thermocouples, and load cells
 Led CAD of system in Autodesk Inventor

Performance Envelope

P&ID

Pressure Loss Spreadsheet