Small Vector Thrust Pulsed Detonation Rocket Engine
Summary:
With the help of BMDO SBIR funding, Enigmatics, Inc. (Washington, DC), is developing a very small (less than ½ inch), very efficient propulsion engine called a pulsed detonation engine (PDE). For BMDO, this technology is targeted for use as a divert engine in a midcourse multiple kill vehicle. Nano-sized satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles are two more near-term applications of the PDE, while large-scale spacecraft and aircraft could eventually benefit from the technology since it is scalable to larger sizes. Enigmatics has partnered with Science Applications International Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, to develop this technology.
Technology Description:
Enigmatics, Inc. (Washington, DC), is developing a new propulsion engine that could be more efficient and flexible than today's propulsion technologies—and will be small enough for nano-sized satellites. Called a pulsed detonation engine (PDE), the new technology can allow engines to be built as small as ½ inch in diameter.
PDE works by detonating fuel in pulses, allowing it to run a more efficient thermodynamic cycle than a conventional rocket, one in which the chamber walls absorb less heat. Although this process, called constant-volume combustion, is inherently more efficient than the constant-pressure process used by conventional rocketry (gas turbine and jet propulsion engines used the constant-pressure process during the first half of the 20th century), it has traditionally had a very slow explosion cycle reaction rate, which limited these engines to very small output thrusts. With intermittent detonation, though, the reaction rate has improved, as a detonation wave travels about two orders of magnitude faster than a typical deflagration wave. As a result, Engimatics has been able to achieve pulse detonation rates of 250 detonations per second in recent tests, with a capability of reaching 500 per second.
MDA Origins:
BMDO Phase II SBIR work was done to develop a unique very-small-scale propulsion system that can be used by a midcourse multiple kill vehicle (MMKV) as a divert engine.
Spinoff Applications:
Enigmatics views the PDE design as having almost unlimited commercial potential because of its inherent technical advantages. The small size allows greater maneuverability and stealthiness. As it has no moving parts and can be built from conventional materials using standard manufacturing methods, a PDE can be amenable to low-cost fabrication.
One of the most immediate applications this small propulsion engine is as a divert engine for a nano-sized satellite that weighs less than 10 kg. Government institutions, such as NASA, and private companies are both developing such satellites for use in fields such as weather tracking, star watching, and military surveillance. What such small craft will need are propulsion systems that can guide them to their exact locations (after being placed in orbit by regular-sized rockets). Present chemical propulsion technologies cannot meet the weight limits of such small spacecraft.
Another potential market is small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), particulary by the Department of Defense, which sees remotely-piloted vehicles as a possible surveillance tool. The market for UAVs is estimated to grow to $3 billion worldwide by 2005. The company estimates that sales of PDEs to this market can produce up tp $300 million a year.
In addition to nano-sized satellite propulsion, PDE, pending further development, can work in other forms of spacecraft and even aircraft. This will enable a cost saving while increasing the capabilities of existing full-size satellite systems. Cost containment will enable such applications as border surveillance to become economically feasible. Large-scale spacecraft propulsion is another possibility, as the PDE technology is scalable. Because the PDE can also work with atmospheric ram air intakes employed by aircraft (as opposed to the stored oxidizer systems used by spacecraft) it can be used by aircraft such as unmanned aerial vehicles, cargo planes, or even airliners.
Commercialization:
Enigmatics has partnered with Science Applications International Corp.(SAIC), a Fortune 500 company, to further develop the technology. SAIC is currently working on advanced warfare systems that would involve UAVs. To this end, SAIC has joint programs with Raytheon, Hughes Aircraft, General Dynamics, and Lockheed Martin.
Enigmatics, however, remains open to other licensing deals from companies within the aerospace industry.
Enigmatics has no patents on this technology as application might provide competitors information on possible bottlenecks. The company is treating its key ideas as trade secrets. Chief among them is the technique for producing detonations hundreds of times per second.
Company Profile:
Enigmatics, based in Washington, DC, employs six people and has consulting relationships with another six. The president, David L. Book, is a physicist who previously worked at the Naval Research Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Enigmatics has developed expertise in numerical modeling and theoretical analysis of explosive phenomena. From 1998 onward, the company's R&D effort has involved PDE applications exclusively.
Contact Information:
David Book, principal investigator
Enigmatics, Inc.
3011 Ordway Street NW
Washington DC 20008
Tel:202-244-4392
Fax:202-686-7143
email: book@astro.umd.edu
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