Inverter test/improvement of propellant
Regarding the N-2 rocket under development, the planned launch this Tuesday has been postponed due to circumstances. As for the future, KSA will conduct a one-time location scout in Isiolo, and then the the contact person will get back to us with a convenient date.
Today, the inverter arrived as a power source for outdoor use, and we checked its operation with the support of the technician in the electrical laboratory.
After returning to my office, I received a phone call from a student in the propulsion group. He said that he had accidentally ignited the propellant when he was making it, and that a lot of smoke was coming out. I told him I was on my way and found the engineers evacuating outside the building.
I rushed upstairs and found about four students who had been working on the production. When I asked them what happened, they told me that when they were pouring the propellant into the combustion chamber, the spilled propellant came in contact with the heater and ignited the propellant. Fortunately, no one was injured and no fire broke out, and only smoke was generated.
The team then discussed and discussed how to respond to the lessons learned from this incident. As a result, the following improvements were implemented
- Casting outdoors
- Inform workshop manager before casting
- Increase the size of the pan (to prevent leakage during heating)
- Use of induction heaters (not to expose heating elements)
As a fellow faculty advisor commented, as we move forward with the development of liquid rocket engines in the future, we need to take even more safety measures and raise safety awareness.