"Hybrid Motor High Powered Rocket Comp." School Project

[jrichman2017]

Hello, I have joined the "Technology & Aerospace" club in my university and I picked the Hybrid motor rocket for my project. I am new to rocketry and need a bit of guidance. I chose the electronic/electrical side. The first task I am trying to research is this,

1.) How to read the pressure in the tank (what tank? the nitrous tank or the rocket?). How much nitrous is being fueled into the rocket, and how to get that info off the rocket.

I am not asking for a step by step breakdown instruction on how to do this, I just need a push in the right direction on what to read, and where to purchase materials. I am trying to learn something I want to be able to make something that I can call my own. Just so you know I have not been told much so far about the project. The 1st lab was this friday and it was an hour duration and now its my turn to do research and show the team leaders (I might become one if I learn a bit more in time) what I have found out and learned. They too do not know about this task too much either. So if you could please lend me some resources because I have been through pages of google and bing searches with little results so I don't think I even have the terminology down right. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[kramer714]

Where are you located? First step to me would be to find someone who launches hybrids and watch them assemble and fly one. I have been flying hybrids for over 10 years. Lots to learn by doing.

Mike K

 

[jrichman2017]

I am in the West Palm Beach area of Florida. Was just told to start doing research online? Would love to talk to some people about this though. Maybe some that work for Aerospace companies?

 

[jrichman2017]

Where are you located? First step to me would be to find someone who launches hybrids and watch them assemble and fly one. I have been flying hybrids for over 10 years. Lots to learn by doing.

Mike K

My current team leaders and club president have of course flown the hybrid we have, and won 3rd place in competition. Just so you know.

 

[DRAGON64]

Hello, I have joined the "Technology & Aerospace" club in my university and I picked the Hybrid motor rocket for my project. I am new to rocketry and need a bit of guidance. I chose the electronic/electrical side. The first task I am trying to research is this,

1.) How to read the pressure in the tank (what tank? the nitrous tank or the rocket?). How much nitrous is being fueled into the rocket, and how to get that info off the rocket.

I am not asking for a step by step breakdown instruction on how to do this, I just need a push in the right direction on what to read, and where to purchase materials. I am trying to learn something I want to be able to make something that I can call my own. Just so you know I have not been told much so far about the project. The 1st lab was this friday and it was an hour duration and now its my turn to do research and show the team leaders (I might become one if I learn a bit more in time) what I have found out and learned. They too do not know about this task too much either. So if you could please lend me some resources because I have been through pages of google and bing searches with little results so I don't think I even have the terminology down right. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Try contacting AlphaHybrids directly, he is a forum member here at The Rocketry Forum. He used to own and manage Alpha Hybrids, a Hybrid Motor Manufacturing company. He is quite knowledgeable on hybrid tech and can get you most of the data you seek.

Also, go to this thread for more info: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?138097-Hybrids-2017

 

[boatgeek]

Starting out, I have no experience with hybrids. I do have a little experience with LNG through work, and that leads me to think that the "how much nitrous is leaving the tank" question is pretty complicated. Depending on the physical characteristics of the liquefied gas, you can get significant changes in density depending on pressure/temperature. Since the boiling point is also dependent on pressure, pressure and temperature are linked to each other. The LNG guys hated it when we talked about cubic meters of capacity or m^3/hour filling rates, because they all dealt in kilograms. It made a big difference when you were talking about moving a few thousand cubic meters of product.

Tools to measure volume flow are not too hard to come by. Tools to measure mass flow for liquefied gases can be horribly complicated.

Definitely talk with people who know more because those issues might not be important in nitrous, especially in small tanks.

 

[Nytrunner]

Tools to measure volume flow are not too hard to come by. Tools to measure mass flow for liquefied gases can be horribly complicated.
.

I'm now imagining a flow meter with pressure and temperature sensors fore and aft of it hooked to a DAq trying to combine the variables and produce a realtime mass result.
In theory it's straightforward, but application is sounding pretty horrible.

 

[boatgeek]

I'm now imagining a flow meter with pressure and temperature sensors fore and aft of it hooked to a DAq trying to combine the variables and produce a realtime mass result.
In theory it's straightforward, but application is sounding pretty horrible.

The one we were presented with (for flows ~ 500-1000 m^3/hr) exploits the Coriolis effect to monkey with vibrations. I understood enough to nod sagely, but freshman physics was a loooong time ago so I don't fully understand it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_flow_meter

 

[Nytrunner]

The one we were presented with (for flows ~ 500-1000 m^3/hr) exploits the Coriolis effect to monkey with vibrations. I understood enough to nod sagely, but freshman physics was a loooong time ago so I don't fully understand it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_flow_meter

Don't feel bad, it wasn't that long ago for me and I hated Coriolis.

I like this statement: "If the density is constant, then the relationship is simple. If the fluid has varying density, then the relationship is not simple."

For the density issues of a liquid that really wants be a gas, I can see that getting Very not simple rather quickly.