• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.152-159
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• 2010

This paper describes the actual application of a feedback control loop as a means for minimizing turbine impulse chamber pressure variation during the turbine steam valve tests at a 1,000 MW nuclear power plant. The chamber pressure control loop was implemented in the new digital control system which was installed as a replacement for the old analog type control system. There has been about 40MW of the generator output change during the steam valve tests, especially the high pressure governing valve tests, because the old control system had not the impulse chamber pressure control so the operators had to compensate steam flow drop manually. The process of each valve test consists of a closing process and an reopening process and the operators can make sure that the valves are in their sound conditions by checking the valves movement. The control algorithm described in this paper contributed to keep the change in megawatt only to 6MW during the steam valve tests. Thereby, the disturbance to reactor control was reduced, and the overall plant control system's stability was greatly improved as well.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.144-149
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• 2014

A ground firing test for hot-fire performance evaluation according to the characteristic length($L^*$) variation of thrust chamber was carried out for the hydrazine thruster which may be employed in space launch vehicles. A scrutiny into the performance characteristics of each thruster is made in terms of thrust, specific impulse, response characteristics, and characteristic velocity at steady-state firing mode with propellant inlet pressure of 2.41 MPa (350 psia). Through the test results, it has been verified that performance of characteristic velocity and specific impulse degrades as the characteristic length deviates from that of the standard model. Thus, it is confirmed that the thrust chamber configuration of standard model was suitably designed for the requirement specified.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.30-37
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• 2013

A ground hot-firing test was conducted to take out the optimal design configurations for the catalyst bed of liquid-monopropellant hydrazine thruster which could be used for primary engine or attitude control thruster of space vehicles. Performance characteristics with the variation of thrust-chamber length are investigated in terms of thrust, specific impulse, chamber pressure, characteristic velocity, and hydrazine decomposition rate. Additionally, the correlations between propellant-supply pressure and performance parameters are given. As results, increase of catalyst-bed length leads to performance degradation in this test condition, and also decreases propellant consumption efficiency with the supply pressure variation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2013

A liquid-monopropellant hydrazine thruster has several outstanding advantages such as relatively-simple structure, long/stable propellant storability, clean exhaust products, and so on. Therefore hydrazine thruster has such a wide application as orbit and attitude control system (ACS) for space vehicles. A hydrazine thruster with the medium-level thrust to be used in the ACS of space launch vehicles (SLV) has been developed, and its ground firing test result is presented in terms of thrust, impulse bit, temperature, and chamber pressure. It is verified through the performance test that the response and repeatability of thrust are very excellent, and the thrust efficiencies compared to its ideal requirement are larger than 93%.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.65-72
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• 2021

700 W class laboratory model Hall thruster, which can be used for the orbit control or station keeping of small satellites, was developed. The size of the discharge channel was determined using a scaling law, and the magnetic field was designed to be symmetric with respect to the midline of the discharge channel and to be maximized outside the discharge channel. Base pressure of a vacuum chamber was maintained below 2.0×10^-5 Torr during experiments, and the thrust was measured by a thrust stand. The anode flow rate and coil current were varied with the fixed anode voltage at 300 V. Under the operation condition at 2.36 mg/s anode flow rate and 2.4 A coil current, performance was optimized as 38 mN thrust, 1,540 s total specific impulse, and 50 % anode efficiency at 620 W anode power.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.54-63
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• 2022

A 3-tonf class liquid rocket engine that powers the upper stage of a small launcher and lifts 500 kg payload to 500 km SSO is designed. The small launcher is to utilize the flight-proven technology of the 75-tonf class engine for the first stage. A combination of liquid oxygen and liquid methane has been selected as their cryogenic states can provide an extra boost in specific impulse as well as enable a weight saving via the common dome arrangement. An expander cycle is chosen among others as the low-pressure operation makes it robust and reliable while a specific impulse of over 360 seconds is achievable with the nozzle extension ratio of 120. Key components such as combustion chamber and turbopump are designed for additive manufacturing to a target cost. The engine system provides an evaporated methane for the autogenous pressurization system and the reaction control of the stage. This upper stage propulsion system can be extended to various missions including deep space exploration.