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Texas A&M University Rocket Engine Design
Overview
Overview
To prepare for Texas A&M University Rocket Engine Design's (TAMU RED) first liquid bi-propellant rocket engine, RED created a fluid system test bench during the Spring of 2024. This test bench was first used to validate geometric coefficients from CFD of their Genesis Injector plate, a legacy rocket engine that RED had designed but unfortunately retired before it could be fully manufactured and tested.
This fluid-system test bench was dubbed the "Water-flow Test Stand" (WTS) as we used water as our first working fluid. After successfully testing the WTS in March of 2024, they have decided on reusing this test bench for future applications as we develop our Elysium rocket engine.
RED WTS Day Video.movTechnical Work
Technical Work
Devin's responsibilities involved leading the development and testing of the avionics sub-system for this fluid test bench. His major technical contribution to WTS is the graphic user interface (GUI) that he had developed with another team member. This graphic user interface was initially created using the Python programming language, and later migrated to C++ for performance improvements. This GUI connects to a micro-controller on a PCB via serial communication, which is what we used to communicate between our on-board electronics and our computer from which we remotely operate the WTS.
The GUI controls all the solenoid valves on the WTS and reads pressure data to calculate mass flow rate and total tank volume. As stated in the overview, this simple test stand was used to validate geometric flow coefficients for a given test article.
Another major component of the WTS avionics is the PCB mentioned above. This PCB was a continuation of previous work Devin had worked on for the retired Genesis rocket engine. This PCB utilized screw terminal connections for two pressure transducers and two solenoid valves and additionally regulated voltage to all its components.
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Photos
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