October 2000 Newsletter - Naval Postgraduate School

FEATURED PROJECT
DETONATION OF A JP-10/AEROSOL FOR PULSE DETONATION APPLICATIONS
Research Assistant Professor Christopher Brophy,
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Distinguished Professor David W. Netzer, Department of
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Dr. Joseph Sinibaldi, American Society for Engineering
Education Post-Doctoral Research Associate
The recent interest in Pulse Detonation Engine (PDE)
technology has resulted in the initiation of numerous national
and international research efforts. Most of these efforts have
mainly focused on the detonation of gaseous reactants and
continue to produce results for the detonation of fuels such as
ethylene and propane. Alternatively, liquid fuels are more
desirable than compressed gases because of their higher energy
density and considerably better storage properties. In particular,
JP-10 is being tested because of its current application in
About the INVESTIGATORS
Chris Brophy is a Research Assistant Professor in the
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He completed
his undergraduate and masters degree at Pennsylvania
State University and
received his Ph.D. from the
University of Alabama
Huntsville. Dr. Brophy
initially joined NPS in 1997
as a Research Associate
under the National Research
Council Research
Associateship Program.
Chris Brophy
His teaching and research
interests are in the areas of
propulsion, combustion, and optical diagnostics. Dr.
Brophy is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics and the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers.
David W. Netzer is a Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics
and Astronautics and is currently serving as the Associate
Provost and Dean of Research. He received the B.S.M.E.
from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in l960, the M.S.M.E.
from Purdue University in l962 and the Ph.D. from Purdue
University in l968. Between the M.S. and Ph.D. he spent
two years at the Aerojet-General Corporation as a develop-
military weapons and existing approval for shipboard use.
Achieving a detonation in a very short length, however, is
difficult when using a liquid fuel because of the atomization
requirements, mixing time scales, and vaporization of the fuel.
Using air as the oxidizer in the main combustor minimizes
the need to carry additional oxidizers, thereby leading to a
higher density-specific impulse and greater flexibility in the
propulsion system design. The possible increase in performance
of these systems originates from the increased thermodynamic
efficiencies which exist for a detonation process.
The research being performed at NPS addresses the practical
use of liquid hydrocarbon fuels for pulse detonation applications.
During the past year, researchers at the NPS’ Rocket
Propulsion and Combustion Laboratory (RPCL) have
--continued on page 7
ment engineer on the Titan III Transtage Program. He
joined the Department of Aeronautics at the Naval Postgraduate
School in April l968 as an Assistant Professor. He
was promoted to Associate Professor in l972, received
tenure in l974, promoted to Full Professor in l981 and
awarded the title of Distinguished Professor in l994. His
teaching and research interests are in combustion and
propulsion. In July l996 he was appointed to the position
Associate Provost and Dean of Research.
Dr. Netzer is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics and The Combustion Institute and
is an active participant in the JANNAF Combustion and Exhaust
Plume Technology
subcommittees. He is a
member of Sigma Xi, Pi Tau
Sigma and Tau Beta Pi and
has received the SAE Ralph
R. Teetor Education Fund
Award, the Admiral J.J.
Schiefflin and Allen Griffen
awards for excellence in
teaching and the JANNAF
Combustion Subcommittee
David W. Netzer
Annual Award. He has published 40 articles in journals and
books, over 40 papers in proceedings and over 40 technical
reports and co-edited the recent AIAA volume on Tactical Missile
Propulsion.
NPS Research page 6
October 2000