The BYU Rocketry Capstone team designed, modelled, tested, and built a Level 2 High Power Hybrid Rocket Engine, and accompanying test stand capable of testing up to 4.0kN rocket engines. 

I was the Responsible Engineer(RE) for the Converging-Diverging Nozzle and for the Nitrous Oxide Injector plate.

For the injector plate I carried the part from craddle to grave; I owned the design, analysis, manufacturing, and testing of the injector plate to meet the mission parameters.

The injector plate needed to atomize the liquid nitrous oxide while injecting it into the combustion chamber at required mass flow rates.

Cold Flow testing was performed to validate the model and confirm the mass flow rate values predicted in the fluid analysis

For the nozzle I carried the part from craddle to grave; I owned the analysis, manufaturing, and testing of the nozzle to meet the mission parameters.

Manufacturing limitations of phenolic nozzles in our lab spaces led to the use of a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf nozzle from Aerotech. Hand calculations were performed to determine necessary throat diameter and nozzle dimensions needed to achieve choked flow. The nozzle throat was drilled out to match this dimension achieve the necessary mass flow rate and expansion ratio for the project.

From the static fire footage and data gathered it was confirmed that choked flow was achieved. Visually, the shock diamonds in the frame indicate the overexpanded supersonic operating condition of the nozzle.

Additionally, thrust and pressure data indicate that sonic, choked conditions were achieved within the nozzle.