Integrated Design-Trajectory Optimization for Hybrid Rocket Motors
Hybrid rocket motors present a competitive edge among space applications, as they are flexible, safe, reliable, and low cost. The motor design and operation are contingent on the type of designated mission; therefore, it is useful to couple design and tra
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Integrated Design-Trajectory Optimization for Hybrid Rocket Motors Dario Pastrone and Lorenzo Casalino
Abstract Hybrid rocket motors present a competitive edge among space applications, as they are flexible, safe, reliable, and low cost. The motor design and operation are contingent on the type of designated mission; therefore, it is useful to couple design and trajectory optimization. This approach is especially needed for hybrid rockets in which a unique combustion process links thrust and specific impulse. In this chapter, a multidisciplinary optimization code is described for the use of designing hybrid rocket motors. There are few parameters which define the design of the hybrid engine, whereas the trajectory optimization is characterized by continuous controls. Due to the difference between these unknowns, a mixed optimization procedure has been developed. To maximize mission performance, direct optimization of engine design variables is coupled with the trajectory indirect optimization.Some interesting applications of the aforementioned procedure are presented. Keywords Hybrid rocket motors • Multidisciplinary design optimization
14.1
Introduction
For the purposes of space transportation and space exploration, chemical rockets are still the most frequently used propulsion systems. Both liquid rocket engines (LREs) and solid rocket motors (SRMs) had a dynamic period of progress from the 1940s to the 1970s. Consequently, they can now be considered mature technologies, while hybrid rocket motors (HRMs) have not experienced the same intense development. In addition to some common chemical rocket challenges, one of the main HRM obstacles is the low regression rate (i.e., the rate at which the
D. Pastrone (*) • L. Casalino Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129 Torino, Italy e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] G. Fasano and J.D. Pinte´r (eds.), Modeling and Optimization in Space Engineering, Springer Optimization and Its Applications 73, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-4469-5_14, # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
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344 Table 14.1 Advantages of hybrid propulsion systems Compared to Liquid Performance Higher fuel density Additives in grain Safety Reduced fire hazard Reduced hard start System One liquid line Lower propellant management needs Cost Reduced development costs Reduced recurring costs
D. Pastrone and L. Casalino
Solid Higher specific impulse Throttling/cut-off/restart capability Reduced explosion hazard Reduced inadvertent ignition Only-fuel grain Lower environmental impact
solid fuel burns) of solid grains, which limits the thrust level and determines complex geometric constraints. Moreover, HRMs cannot guarantee the same performance of cryogenic LREs. Nevertheless, hybrid rockets have recently come to the forefront and have powered the first commercial vehicle for human suborbital flight [15]. In fact, they can provide a safe and affordable option for many applications (accessing upper atmosphere and space for scientific missions, educational
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