At our Westcott site we operate two rocket engine test bays covering a wide variety of propellants and thrust ratings up to 40kN, with the option to test at higher thrust levels elsewhere on site if required. Each test bay has extensive data acquisition and control support, which can be extended for specific experimental requirements as necessary. Raw data and automatic reports are available immediately after a firing is complete, allowing rapid turnaround and efficient test schedules. The test bays are supported by our well-equipped on-site mechanical workshop and instrumentation lab.
The J1 test bay can provide, as standard: liquid oxygen, liquid methane, nitrous oxide, and room-temperature hydrocarbons such as isopropanol or kerosene, with thrusts typically from 100N up to 35kN. More exotic propellants can also be accommodated such as carbon monoxide, sub-cooled propane, pre-mixed fuel blends, and propylene. We can also test electric and turbopumps with water and cryogenic fluids including liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, and liquid methane. J1 is currently being upgraded to support longer-duration, high-thrust LOX/kerosene engine tests.
Our J2 test bay has a purpose-built high-pressure air flow system for air-breathing rocket engine research. This facility includes a high flow rate air and hydrogen supply, water cooling, water-spray sound suppression, and automatic metering valves on all propellant lines. Our custom designed metering valves are digitally controlled and can either follow a specific mass flow profile to better than 1% accuracy or can be set to allow closed loop control of engine operating conditions such as chamber pressure. J2 has predominantly been used for air-breathing rocket work and gaseous propellants in recent years, but we are currently upgrading it to also support long-duration nitrous oxide and room-temperature hydrocarbon bipropellant rockets.
Please contact us for our interface control document which details the available propellants, pressures, flow rates, instrumentation, and other interfaces.
