SBIR-STTR Award

Transpiration Cooled Thrust Chamber Technology
Award last edited on: 1/14/2021

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
NASA : JSC
Total Award Amount
$699,981
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
X9.03
Principal Investigator
Paul C Phillipsen

Company Information

WASK Engineering Inc (AKA: Wendel Burkhardt)

3905 Dividend Drive
Cameron Park, CA 95682
   (530) 672-2795
   paulp@waskengr.com
   www.waskengr.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 04
County: El Dorado

Phase I

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase I year
2007
Phase I Amount
$99,985
NASA has determined that it requires extremely durable, high-performance, low cost engines to meet future multi-use in-space, non-toxic, cryogenic propulsion requirements such as orbit transfer, descent, ascent and pulsing attitude control. Transpiration-cooling technology has long been considered a candidate for long-life thrust chambers but has never been deployed on a domestic rocket engine. In this program WASK Engineering, Inc. demonstrates methane transpiration cooling of an oxygen/methane thrust chamber at 260 psia chamber pressure and a range of mixture ratios up to 3.2 O/F in a 65 lbf engine assembly. Key tasks are the design and fabrication of a transpiration-cooled chamber spool section that integrates into existing hardware from an on-going USAF program and then hot fire testing it in the existing test stand. Post-test data analyses are used to anchor and refine thermal and performance algorithms in transpiration cooling models that then validate, or invalidate, transpiration cooled thrust chambers for this set of requirements.

Phase II

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase II year
2008
Phase II Amount
$599,996
NASA has determined that it requires extremely durable, high-performance, low cost engines to meet future multi-use in-space, non-toxic, cryogenic propulsion requirements such as orbit transfer, descent, ascent and pulsing attitude control. Transpiration-cooling technology has long been considered a candidate for long-life thrust chambers but has never been deployed on a domestic rocket engine. In this program WASK Engineering, Inc. proposes to design, fabricate and hot-fire test a 100 lbf reaction control engine (RCEs) with transpiration-cooled thrust chambers and novel injector design. This effort will build on the technology demonstrations achieved on our Phase I program. These new transpiration-cooled O2/CH4 RCEs will be tested in existing atmospheric (non-vacuum) test facilities on an existing and operational test stand. Test results will be used to anchor and refine existing transpiration cooling thermal/performance analysis models. Ultimately, results of this Phase II program will lead to a durable, low cost, non-toxic RCE technology capable of using in situ propellant combinations, particularly oxygen/methane that will have higher performance than current toxic, expensive, storable hypergolic RCE designs using rhenium-based thrust chamber technology.