THE BLACKLIGHT ROCKET ENGINE
A Phase I Study Funded by the NIAC CP 01-02 Advanced Aeronautical/Space Concept
Studies Program
Phase I Final Report
Anthony J. Marchese, Ph. D.
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Peter Jansson, Ph. D., P.E.
Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
John L. Schmalzel, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor and Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering
Rowan University
201 Mullica Hill Rd.
Glassboro, NJ 08028-1701
http://engineering.rowan.edu/~marchese
Fiber Optic Probe
Evenson Cavity
Nozzle Throat
The BlackLight Rocket Engine page -2
NIAC Phase I Final Report (May 1 – November 30, 2002)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................3
1. Objectives Of The Study.............................................................................................................5
2. Project Personnel........................................................................................................................6
3. Background..................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Expected Significance................................................................................................7
3.2 Relation To The Present State Of Knowledge .........................................................8
3.3 Relation To Previous Work Done On The Subject ....................................................9
4. The Blacklight Rocket (BLR) Engine: Theoretical Description.............................................13
5. Conceptual Design Of A Blacklight Thruster ........................................................................14
6. Experimental Approach...........................................................................................................15
7. Hardware Development: Blacklight Plasma Thruster (BLPT) ..............................................17
8. Hardware Development: Black Light Microwave Plasma Thruster (BLMPT) ...................21
9. Experimental Evaluation Of Blacklight Process ....................................................................22
9.1 Thermal Characterization Of Ne/H2 Glow Discharge Gas Cell ..........................22
9.2 Unique Hydrogen Line Broadening In Low Pressure Microwave Water
Plasmas ...............................................................................................................................25
9.3 Inversion Of Line Intensities In Hydrogen Balmer Series ........................................27
9.4 Novel Vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV) Vibration Spectra Of Hydrogen Mixture
Plasmas ...............................................................................................................................27
9.5 Water Bath Calorimetry Experiments Showing Increased Heat Generation ...28
10. BLPT And BLMPT Proof Of Concept Test Firing....................................................................31
10.1 Experimental Apparatus And Vacuum Chamber ..............................................31
10.2 Test Firing Of BLPT Thruster........................................................................................32
10.3 Test Firing Of BLMPT Thruster ....................................................................................33
11. Conclusions And Future Work ...............................................................................................36
Budget Expenditures.....................................................................................................................37
Acknowledgements .....................................................................................................................37
References......................................................................................................................................38
The BlackLight Rocket Engine page -3
NIAC Phase I Final Report (May 1 – November 30, 2002)
Executive Summary
This report summarizes the final project results for the period of May 1, 2002 through November
30, 2002 for the NIAC CP 01-02 Phase I study, "The BlackLight Rocket Engine". The objective
of the Phase I study was to assess the potential of low pressure, mixed gas hydrogen plasmas
(i.e. the BlackLight Process) toward the development of high performance space propulsion
systems.
Motivation
During the past decade, several research groups have begun to report unique spectroscopic
results for mixed gas plasma systems in which one of the species present was hydrogen gas. In
these experiments, researchers have reported excessive line broadening of H emission lines
and peculiar non-Boltzmann population of excited states. The hydrogen line broadening in most
of these studies was attributed to Doppler broadening associated with high random translational
velocity of H atoms (i.e. “fast hydrogen”).
Recent data have been published by scientists at BlackLight Power reporting similar
phenomena that suggests the presence of a newly identified regime of energetic mixed gas
hydrogen plasma systems. Specifically, the following phenomena have been reported:
Preferential Doppler line broadening of atomic hydrogen emission spectra,
Inverted populations of hydrogen Balmer series in microwave hydrogen gas mixture
plasmas,
Novel vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) vibration spectra of hydrogen mixture plasmas, and
Water bath calorimetry experiments showing increased heat generation in certain gas
mixtures.
Scientists at BlackLight Power, Inc. have explained the above phenomena based on a
hypothesis that, under certain conditions, hydrogen atoms can undergo transitions to energy
levels corresponding to fractional principal quantum numbers. However, since the theoretical
explanation of the BlackLight Process has entailed a reworking of quantum mechanics, the
theory has not been readily accepted in the scientific community. Regardless of the theoretical
explanation, the experimental data suggests that these plasma systems have unique
characteristics that warrant further exploration for propulsion applications.
Accordingly, the objective of the present NIAC Phase I study was to assess the potential of low
pressure, mixed gas hydrogen plasmas toward the development of high performance space
propulsion systems. Prior to the present study, no attempt had been made to apply this type of
plasma system toward the development of a rocket thruster. Preliminary calculations suggest
that such a thruster could achieve performance several orders of magnitude greater than
chemical rocket propulsion.
Results of the Phase I Study
During the period of May 1, 2002 to November 30, 2002, the following progress was made on
the project:
Conceptual designs for two separate proof-of-concept thrusters were completed.
Configuration designs for thruster hardware were developed using SolidWorks 3D solids
modeling.
• A BlackLight Plasma Thruster (BLPT) was fabricated.
• A BlackLight Microwave Plasma Thruster (BLMPT) was fabricated.
The BlackLight Rocket Engine page -4
NIAC Phase I Final Report (May 1 – November 30, 2002)
• An experimental vacuum test chamber apparatus was developed for testing the BLPT
and BLMPT thrusters.
• A spectroscopic technique was developed for measuring thruster exhaust velocity using
a Doppler shift of hydrogen emission spectra.
• A 1 kW class arcjet thruster and power supply was obtained from NASA Glenn Research
Center to benchmark Doppler shift velocity measurement technique.
• Experiments on the BlackLight process were performed including:
o Thermal characterization of a compound hollow cathode glow discharge
apparatus,
o Hydrogen line broadening measurements in low pressure microwave water
plasmas,
o Measurements of inversion of line intensities in hydrogen Balmer series,
o Measurements of novel vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) vibration spectra of hydrogen
mixture plasma, and
o Water bath calorimetry experiments.
The BLPT and BLMPT were installed into vacuum systems and successfully test fired.
Preliminary experiments were performed to measure emission spectra of the exhaust
gases of the BLMPT thruster.
Each of these accomplishments is described in detail in this report.
The BlackLight Rocket Engine page -5
NIAC Phase I Final Report (May 1 – November 30, 2002)
1. Objectives of the Study
The goal of the Phase 1 study was to explore the feasibility of utilizing low pressure mixed gas
hydrogen plasmas (i.e. the BlackLight process) to develop a new generation of space
propulsion systems that might one day power interplanetary (or perhaps even interstellar)
manned spacecraft. As described in the original project proposal, preliminary calculations
suggested that ultra high specific impulse rocket engines might be realized by applying the
BlackLight Process toward the design of a propulsion system. If realized, the BlackLight Rocket
(BLR) engine would represent a revolutionary increment in performance over today’s chemical
propulsion systems. Previously reported data by BlackLight Power, Inc. had reported extremely
high values of energy release in dilute hydrogen gas systems. However, prior to the present
study no attempt had been made to apply this new energy source toward the development of a
rocket engine.
The original Phase I proposal described objectives that included development of a theoretical
model, identification of potential space mission applications, and development of a bench scale
BLR engine and thrust stand. Based on comments of the proposal reviewers and consultation
with BlackLight Power scientists and engineers, the objectives for Phase I were refined as
follows:
Perform experiments to evaluate previously published data on energetic mixed gas H2
plasmas.
Develop bench scale proof-of-concept BlackLight Plasma Thruster (BLPT) and
BlackLight Microwave Plasma Thruster (BLMPT) hardware.
Develop experimental apparatus for measuring specific impulse (Isp) and overall thruster
efficiency (η).
Measure specific impulse (Isp) and overall thruster efficiency (η) when operating the
BLPT and/or BLMPT thrusters.
The fourth objective above represents a quantitative assessment of the BlackLight Process as a
power source for potential thruster applications. The first quantitative parameter of interest is
specific impulse:
o
e
SP g
v
w
F ≈= &I
The specific impulse is defined as the thrust per unit propellant flow rate, which is roughly equal
to the exhaust velocity, ve , divided by the gravitational constant go as shown in the equation
above. Since the first generation BLP thruster will require an electrical input source, a second
parameter called thruster efficiency is also of interest. The thruster efficiency is defined as the
kinetic energy of the exhaust gas per electrical energy input to the thruster according to the
following equation:
elec
2
e
W
vm
2
1
&
&
=η
where m& is the measured mass flow rate, ve the exhaust velocity and the measured
electrical input power to the device. Each of the quantitative parameters require accurate
measurement of the exhaust velocity.
elecW&
The BlackLight Rocket Engine page -6
NIAC Phase I Final Report (May 1 – November 30, 2002)
2. Project Personnel
A strong project team of Rowan University faculty and students was assembled during the
Phase I study. The project team and their overall responsibilities are described in the following
table.
Team Member Qualifications Project Responsibility
Anthony J. Marchese Ph.D. Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering
Principal Investigator, theory, experiments,
management of project
Peter Jansson Ph.D. Electrical Engineering BlackLiqht Process measurements and
optimization
John L. Schmalzel Ph.D. Electrical Engineering Instrumentation and spectroscopic
measurements of exhaust velocity
Charles Linderman Machinist Fabrication of BLPT hardware
Mike Resciniti, ‘02 B.S. Mechanical Engineering
(graduate student)
Design and development of BLPT thruster
hardware
Mike Muhlbaier, ‘04 Undergraduate, Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Spectroscopic measurements and vacuum
system apparatus development
Tom Smith, ‘03 Undergraduate, Mechanical
Engineering
Design and development of BLMPT thruster
hardware
Jennifer Demetrio, ‘04 Undergraduate, Mechanical
Engineering
Design and development of BLMPT thruster
hardware
Kevin Garrison, ‘03 Undergraduate, Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Characterization of microwave Evenson
cavity
Brief biographical sketches of the Principal and Co-Investigators are included below:
Anthony J. Marchese, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator Anthony Marchese is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
at Rowan University. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from
Princeton University and B.S. and M.S. degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His
research areas include chemically reacting flows, chemical kinetics, microgravity experiments,
rocket propulsion, spacecraft fire safety, environmental issues and refrigeration. He is currently
funded by NASA to study microgravity flame spread and by NJDOT to study diesel emission
reduction strategies for school buses and heavy-duty diesel vehicles. In previous work with
NASA, he was a member of the science team for the Droplet Combustion Experiment (DCE)
conducted aboard Space Shuttle Columbia missions STS-83 and STS-94 in 1997.
Marchese has been at Rowan since September 1996 and was promoted to the rank of
Associate Professor in September 2000. At Rowan, he teaches courses in rocket propulsion,
combustion, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and product design. He has previously held
positions at United Technologies Research Center in East Hartford, CT and NASA Glenn
Research Center in Cleveland, OH. He is the holder of two United States Patents and is a
member of Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, Pi Tau Sigma, The Combustion Institute, AIAA, ASME and
ASEE. In 2001 he was named a Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Foundation.
The BlackLight Rocket Engine page -7
NIAC Phase I Final Report (May 1 – November 30, 2002)
Peter M. Jansson, Ph.D., P.P., P.E.
Co-Investigator Peter M. Jansson, joined the College of Engineering at Rowan University in
January 2001. Jansson has recently completed his Ph.D. studies at the Department of
Engineering at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. He received his Bachelor of
Science in Civil Engineering with focus in environmental and systems engineering in 1978 from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jansson has over 24-years of management and
research experience in energy, engineering and consulting businesses in the United States and
abroad (Conectiv, Atlantic Energy, Atlantic Energy International, Consulting Engineer Services,
MIT, University of Cambridge, National Science Foundation). His master’s thesis involved
characterizing and measuring excess energy in catalytic hydrogen gas cell systems (Jansson,
1997) now referred to as the BlackLight Process (Mills, 2000).
John L. Schmalzel, Ph. D., P.E., Co-Principal Investigator
Co-Principal Investigator John L. Schmalzel received the B.S.E.E. (’73), M.S.E.E. (’77), and
Ph.D. (’80) from Kansas State University. He served with the US Army as a Clinical Automation
Officer (‘80-’84) before joining The University of Texas at San Antonio (‘84-’95) as an Assistant
Professor. In 1995, he moved to Rowan University as the founding chair of the Electrical and
Computer Engineering program. His research interests involve instrumentation development
spanning biomedical devices to nondestructive evaluation and aerospace technology. He has
served on the editorial boards of IEEE Trans on I&M, and of the IEEE I&M and IEEE Micro
Magazines and as the chair of the Automated Instruments Users Group (‘88-’90). He writes a
quarterly column, A Measured Look, for the I&M Magazine. He was named a NASA Summer
Faculty Fellow for three consecutive years (’98-’00). In this capacity, he was a resident at
NASA Stennis Space Center where he developed a low-cost three-axis accelerometer system.
Fall 2002 Undergraduate Research Team
During the fall of 2002, a team of 4 senior-level undergraduate students worked closely with the
the investigators to develop the experimental apparatus and assist in data acquisition. The
undergraduate team performed their work (approximately 40 person-hours/week) within the
innovative Rowan Engineering Clinic. The Engineering Clinic is a course that is taken each
semester by every engineering student at Rowan University. In the Engineering Clinic, which is
based on the medical school model, students and faculty from all four engineering departments
work side-by-side on laboratory experiments, design projects, applied research and product
development (Marchese, et al., 2002).
Brief Description of the Institution
The College of Engineering at Rowan University was created from a 1992 gift of $100 million
from industrialist Henry M. Rowan. The College is composed of four departments: Chemical
Engineering (ChE); Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE); Electrical and Computer
Engineering (ECE); and Mechanical Engineering (ME). Each of the four undergraduate
programs received full accreditation from ABET in June 2001. With the allure of starting up a
new engineering program, the College has attracted a world-class faculty with Ph.D. degrees
from institutions such as Princeton, Stanford, M.I.T., Cambridge, Cornell, etc. The College is
housed within the 95,000 SF, $28 million Henry M. Rowan Hall, which was completed in 1998.
3. Background
3.1 Expected Significance
During the 40 plus year history of modern space flight, the overwhelming majority of both
manned and unmanned spacecraft have relied on chemical energy for their main propulsion
requirements. Chemical rocket propulsion systems are simple and offer a high thrust to weight
ratio and have thus been reasonably effective in delivering payload from earth to low earth orbit
(LEO). Chemical rocket propulsion has also been effective in delivering human space travelers
The BlackLight Rocket Engine page -8
NIAC Phase I Final Report (May 1 – November 30, 2002)
from LEO to lunar orbit. Unfortunately, the performance of a chemical rocket propulsion system
is inherently limited by chemical thermodynamics and even the most exotic of stable chemical
propellant combinations will yield performance only slightly higher than today’s H2/O2 rocket
engines (Zurawski, 1986; Stwalley, et al., 1991). The low performance of chemical propulsion
systems make them extremely unattractive as candidates for the long term manned exploration
of the solar system and beyond.
A manned Mars mission represents a typical example of the limitations of chemical rocket
propulsion. Indeed, one of the chief hurdles that has prevented a manned Mars mission is the
excessive amount of propellant mass that must be launched into LEO to assemble a Mars-
bound spacecraft. For example, a high-energy “sprint” (400 day round-trip) mission using
H2/O2 would require 1,760,000 kg to be launched into LEO. Based on the launch capability of
the current Space Shuttle fleet, assembling such a spacecraft in LEO would require 70 to150
Space Shuttle launches (Palaszewski, 1990). Moreover, rocket propellants account for 75% of
the total mass requirements. By incorporating In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), wherein
propellants are manufa
本文档为【火箭设计- BlackLight火箭推动器】,请使用软件OFFICE或WPS软件打开。作品中的文字与图均可以修改和编辑,
图片更改请在作品中右键图片并更换,文字修改请直接点击文字进行修改,也可以新增和删除文档中的内容。
该文档来自用户分享,如有侵权行为请发邮件ishare@vip.sina.com联系网站客服,我们会及时删除。
[版权声明] 本站所有资料为用户分享产生,若发现您的权利被侵害,请联系客服邮件isharekefu@iask.cn,我们尽快处理。
本作品所展示的图片、画像、字体、音乐的版权可能需版权方额外授权,请谨慎使用。
网站提供的党政主题相关内容(国旗、国徽、党徽..)目的在于配合国家政策宣传,仅限个人学习分享使用,禁止用于任何广告和商用目的。