Design of test benches for cryogenic hybrid rocket engines

This manuscript is the result of a 6 months internship in the French startup Alpha Impulsion, that is currently developing hybrid autophage rocket propulsion, in particular the focus is on the design and development of test benches peculiar to this kind of motors, that have some specific requirements. In such a context of new technologies development, the capability to test the new designs is essential, both to prove functionality and to explore new technical solutions, that’s why in the context of space propulsion, test benches are developed to study and improve the engine before performing flight tests. The design process of a generic test bench will be investigated, starting from the base requirements from the development team to the design of the facility in all its subsystems, like cryogenic (and not) fluid system, control systems, valves, actuation, measurement and acquisition systems, support structure, safety systems. This method will then be applied to two case studies: a generic autophage launcher (like the company’s Grenat a 200 kN obital satellite launcher) rocket motor and the slab burner test bench (10 kN test rig to investigate regression rate on HRE) Each subsystem’s preliminary design will be explained, integration and interfaces will be discussed, to conclude with a comparison between the two cases.