Investigating novel propellants for use in hybrid propellant propulsion systems

Kingston University has developed and pioneered the use of two innovative technologies in recent years that we hope will have a significant impact on the space and launch propulsion sectors. The first is the development of Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) to measure the internal combustion and regression of a hybrid propellant space propulsion system.

The second is the gelation/solidification of hydrocarbon propellants using cholesteryl, sugar-based and amide-based gelators.

The aim of this PhD is to investigate novel propellants for use in hybrid propellant propulsion systems and to analyse their combustion properties using ECT and machine learning-driven data analysis.

Student: George Luker

University Partner: Kingston University

Industry Partner: Atout Process Ltd