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To satisfy NASA requirements for a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), C3 Propulsion has designed, built, and tested a Constant Volume (CV) combustion engine. This rocket engine is novel in that it applies a thermodynamic cycle unusual in rocketry applications.

This CV engine can play a critical role in current NASA In-Space Propulsion Program. It was specifically designed for use with non-toxic, low temperature propellants. Its versatile multi-use capabilities for integrated main propulsion and reaction control, make it applicable for a broad range of missions. Other NASA applications would include lunarplanetary ascentdescent, integrated main propulsion and reaction control for orbital insertionmaneuvering, and return to Earth.Non-NASA applications include the potential for use on military platforms such as Kinetic Kill Vehicles (KKVs), as well as adaptation for commercial satellites using hypergolic propellants for orbital maneuvering and station keeping. Furthermore, C3 Propulsion will continue to leverage existing experience and expertise from its pool of technology partners at Aerojet, AMPAC-ISP, Lockheed-Martin, and their respective R&D efforts. Moreover, to increase its technology transition potential, C3 Propulsion works with business specialized in SBIR technology transition, like Vital Strategies, LLC. This ensures the alignment of small business inventiveness with industry technology gaps, as corporations make cost-effective responses to key national needs, as well as consumer needs.

What is the need for a CV engine?

Extensive trade studies on Mars Ascent Propulsion have been conducted. The results of a 2001 study indicated that a conventional two-stage solid would be the most promising and lowest risk for a Mars Sample Return mission. A subsequent study examined the trade between pressure fed vs. pump fed engines and reached the same conclusions obtained in previous studies. As long as conventional Constant Pressure (CP) engines cycles continue to be at the core of propulsion system trade studies, the result of any new study will not stray far from results obtained in the past. For non-traditional propellant systems to be competitive, there needs to be a fundamental change in the engine cycle as well, otherwise the optimum has already been identified.

The Innovation

Not only the CV engine has nearly identical specific impulse as the CP engine with the same mass flow and throat area, but also the nozzle optimizes at the same area ratio. Advantages of the CV combustion cycle over conventional liquid bi-propellant CP combustion cycles include the elimination of pumps and improved Isp for a given system supply pressure. This engine is not a pulse detonation engine, but an Adiabatic Isochoric Complete Combustion (AICC) engine. The advantages are the simplification of the ignition system, buffer gas injection, and a reduction in the extremely high pressures associated with PDEs.

Specific advantages of the CV propulsion device for the MAV mission include:

Light weight, low pressure fuel tanks
High chamber pressure
Meets martian temperature requirements without any form of active heating or stirring.

C3 Propulsion has designed, built, and tested an advanced ionic liquid, controllable thrust monopropellant propulsion system, that utilizes low toxicity propellants and demonstrates enhanced performance.

The monopropellant uses an ionic liquid that can be tailored to project specifications. This flexibility allows the monopropellant to be customized to meet multiple mission design requirements in a variety of propulsion systems.

Advantages of Ionic Liquid monopropellant technology

Technologies being sought in propulsion includes, precision landing, hazard avoidance, in-space rendezvous, longer-ranging surface mobility, and ascentdecent vehicle propulsion. We are leveraging our expertise in Ionic Liquid technology to develop controllable thrust propulsion systems that utilize low toxicity propellants and demonstrate enhanced performance.

The use of Ionic Lliquid monopropellant propulsion technology has the following advantages:

reduced costs in the system components and ground servicing
prolonged mission or systems lifetimes
improved reliability
enhanced critical mission functions.

C3 Propulsion and the Center for Green Manufacturing at the University of Alabama have demonstrated the feasibility of developing an Ionic Liquid (IL) gas generator.

Phases of the project included synthesis of several candidate ILs, design, fabrication, and testing of a gas generator prototype.

Advantages of Ionic Liquids vs Gel propellants

Gel propellant propulsion systems use pressure fed fuel systems in which a gas at high pressure is introduced into the fuel and oxidizer tanks and used to drive the propellants into the combustion chamber. The Future Missile Technology Integration (FMTI) program has demonstrated a gel motor with propellant tanks that are pressurized using a solid propellant-based gas generator. This gas generator consists of several stacked segments of solid propellant that are ignited sequentially, causing the pressure inside the gas generator chamber to oscillate between ignitions. This inherent pressure oscillation causes oscillations in the flow rate of the fuel and oxidizer gels, and makes it difficult to achieve precise control over the thrust produced.

The application of an ionic liquid-based gas generator has the potential to solve this problem in several respects:

The flow rate of the ionic liquid can be precisely controlled to maintain a constant pressure in the fuel and oxidizer tanks to drive the propellants at a constant flow rate.
The flow rate of the ionic liquid can be rapidly varied to vary to enable the pressure head in the fuel and oxidizer tanks to be controlled in order to control propellant flow rate.
The properties of ionic liquids can be tailored based on the application. This will enable an ionic liquid that is well suited for use as a monopropellant to be developed.
The Ionic liquid can be designed to be much less toxic than liquid monopropellants that are currently in use, such as hydrazine.
Possible gas generator applications

Gas generators have had and will continue to have a wide and variant use. Some examples of the many applications of gas generators are: rocket engine turbo-pump drive power, auxiliary or emergency power systems, vacuum aspiration, drive gas for reciprocating machinery, inflating air bags, pressurizing cavities, thermal heat, spin-starting turbo-pump rocket engines, turbine drive power for many different devices, rocket engine fuel source, rocket engine oxidizer source, hydraulic system pressurization, light sources (flares), and smoke generators.

The 'Next Generation Aegis Missile' (NGAM) is a key component of the Obama administration's Phased Adaptive Approach for missile defense in Europe.

The new interceptor will be designed to provide early intercept capability against some short range ballistic missiles, all medium range ballistic missiles, all intermediate range ballistic missiles and non-advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles.

C3 Propulsion's team of chemists has demonstrated the feasibility of developing hypergolic fuel and oxidizer gelling agents based on ionic liquid chemistry. Our novel propellant formulations are the product of an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary approach. This solution increases density specific impulse, reduces cost and maintenance requirements, improves reliability and meets DoD Insensitive Munitions (IM) and safety objectives.

The use of liquid hypergolic propellants presents a significant challenge for sea-basing under current Navy regulations since they are both toxic and an explosion hazard. Small propellant leaks that result in low airborne concentrations require a response that protects personnel by maintaining concentrations below the levels recommended by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, especially in manned spaces. For larger leaks, it may not be possible to maintain these low concentrations. Under these circumstances, the purpose of the mitigation system is to prevent the build-up of explosive concentrations.

Put our expertise to work for you


C3 Propulsion takes care of customers from ideation and design to prototype fabrication and testing. Our experience in different fields of propulsion & energy systems gives us the ability to deeply understand your problem and satisfy your needs.

Our innovative customized solutions have been adopted by our clients from the defense to the commercial sectors.

Examples of past and ongoing projects can be found at the following links:
Propulsion Systems

Safety Systems

Energy Harvesting Systems

Future sub-orbital, near-Earth, and planetary exploration will require higher performance, low cost, and environmentally sustainable propulsion that enables lower cost access to space. C3 Propulsion is working on the development of green propellants and on constant volume combustion engines that push the limits of current chemical propulsion.

Conversion of heat to electrical power is particularly important to reduce weight and volume for space applications, aircraft, missile systems and personnel. The development of energy harvesting captureconversion technologies also addresses the national need for novel new energy systems and alternatives to reduce energy consumption.

C3 Propulsion has designed, developed, and fabricated a system to enable safe storage, handling, transportation, and shipboard use of Liquid Hypergolic Propulsion (LHP) systems.

The deployment of Liquid Hypergolic Propellants (LHP) for missile defense applications aboard surface ships and submarines, has not yet been approved by the US Navy Weapons Systems Explosive Safety Review Board (WSESRB). Moreover, limitations are imposed on shipping LHP systems by the US Air Force.

The object of this Missile Defense Agency (MDA) sponsored project was to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a system to contain and neutralize any potential hypergolic leaks, providing personnel protection, and preventing the build-up of an explosive concentration of propellant vapors.

To this end, C3 Propulsion has integrated, within the MDA Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP), the technologies it has developed in the area of hypergolic propellant leak sensing and mitigation.

Improving current energy harvesting technology will enable the efficient capture andor conversion of acoustic, kinetic, and thermal energy. C3 propulsion has partnered with Wake Forest University to utilize their Organic ThermoElectric (OTE) example for space applications.

The OTE example utilizes dispersions of nanowires in a polymer matrix. A large area fabric-like, heat collector (with modest efficiency) spread across an extended body heat source is able to collect as much or more power than a small highly efficient ceramic device where only limited contact is available with the body. This innovative technology can work either under typical ambient environments or under high intensity energy environments, as might be found in propulsion testing and launch facilities. Moreover, innovations in miniaturization and suitability for manufacturing of energy capture and conversion systems make this technology usable towards eventual powering of assorted sensors and IT systems on vehicles and infrastructures. High efficiency and reliability also consent its use in environments that may be remote andor hazardous, and having low maintenance requirements.
Space Applications

The generation of electrical power from thermal sources has extremely wide space applications:

delivery of water to the vertical test stand for thermal and noise suppression for diesel engines
supplement batteries for instrument and life support in manned space vehicles
supplement instrument batteries in non-manned space vehicles
supplement instrument airplanes batteries
supplementeliminate batteries in experimental apparatus in R&D Centers.
Other government applications

The generation of electrical power has innumerable applications for DoD:
Army and Marine Corps

soldier fatigues to minimize the weight of batteries
artillery barrels to minimize the weight for electronic gun controls
vehicles to minimize battery requirements for electronics
missile launchers to minimize batteries for launchers and guidance and control systems
nuclear, biological, and chemical defense systems to minimize batteries
radar and communications to minimize
Navy

micro and full sized submarines to minimize battery requirements
surface ships to minimize battery and power generation requirements
aircraft to minimize batteries for electronics and life support
navy depots to minimize battery requirements.
Air Force

aircraft to minimize batteries for electronics and life support
satellites to minimize power generators.