Firm:

          

Masten Space Systems, Inc.

          

   

Address:

          

1570 Sabovich Street, Mojave, CA 93501

          

   

Phone:

          

(888) 488-8455                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Name:

          

David Masten

          

   

E-mail:

          

dmasten@masten.aero

          

   

Address:

          

1570 Sabovich Street, CA 93501 - 1681

          

   

Phone:

          

(415) 244-9171                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Name:

          

Sean Bedford

          

   

E-mail:

          

sbedford@masten.aero

          

   

Address:

          

931 Monroe Dr. NE, Ste A102 #360, 30308 - 2183

          

   

Phone:

          

(352) 226-5708                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) :                                                                                                                                                          
Begin: 3
End: 4

          

          

     

Technical Abstract (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words):

The proposed innovations are as follows:
1. Rotating detonation engine (RDE) injector using Masten’s patent-pending permeable additive manufacturing (PermiAM) method, which provides improved propellant distribution and cooling in the engine relative to traditional injector methods.
2. Liquid-liquid injector using liquid oxygen (LOX)/Methane.
3. The ability to manufacture single parts with varying material properties will enable cost savings in areas where, in the past, multiple components required manufacturing and assembly with a high touch time. Masten has demonstrated a cost reduction of 60% in past injector builds.

Success of this SBIR project will be indicated by the construction and testing of two PermiAM RDE injectors. The three phases of this project are: design, manufacture, and testing. This SBIR will provide valuable information for several existing questions relating to RDE research. How to design a flight like liquid/liquid detonation engine, and how to design an injector capable of handling the extreme temperature and pressure environments.

          

          

     

Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words):

RDE’s have the inherent advantage of being theoretically more efficient than standard combustion engines. This is due to the detonation engine utilizing a Humphrey cycle over a Brayton cycle. A Humphrey cycle is a constant volume cycle, where a Brayton cycle is constant pressure.

          

          

     

Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words):

In a perfect system and RDE has the potential to be about 15% more efficient than that of a constant pressure device. The ability to utilize this kind of increase would be invaluable in commercial application, where fuel consumption can be a major driver in cost.

          

          

     

Duration:     6