2025 – Present
Lead engineer for a 586 lbf N₂O/HTPB hybrid rocket feed system targeting a club record 20,000 ft apogee. Designed full oxidizer plumbing at 750 psi MEOP, performed discharge coefficient modeling, FEA-validated endcaps and brackets, and led cold-flow and static fire campaigns.
The Problem
The Rocket Project at UCLA was targeting a new altitude record of 20,000 ft with a 586 lbf N₂O/HTPB hybrid motor. The core challenge was designing an oxidizer feed system capable of reliably delivering N₂O at 750 psi MEOP while meeting strict mass, safety, and integration constraints — all without precedent in the club's history.
A hybrid feed system operates at the intersection of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and structural engineering. Getting it wrong means failed tests, wasted resources, or worse — a safety incident. The system had to be simple enough to operate in the field, yet robust enough to handle the transient pressure dynamics of a cold-flow and static fire campaign.
Goals
Design a complete oxidizer feed system (plumbing, fittings, valves, pressure relief) rated to 750 psi MEOP
Characterize system pressure losses and transient flow behavior through discharge coefficient (Cd) modeling
FEA-validate all structural components — tank endcaps, brackets, and bolted interfaces — to required margins of safety
Execute hydrostatic proof testing, cold-flow qualification, and static fire integration campaigns
Maximize delivered impulse through ullage volume optimization driven by test data
My Role
As Feed Systems Lead, I owned the entire oxidizer delivery system end-to-end. I was responsible for the system architecture, component selection, all analysis work, and leading the test campaigns.
I performed the discharge coefficient calculations and flow modeling to size the orifices and predict pressure loss through the system. I designed and FEA-validated the lightweight oxidizer tank endcaps and support brackets under internal pressure, bolt preload, and bending loads — iterating through multiple designs to meet required margins while minimizing mass. I also ran the bolt bearing stress and bracket bending analyses.
On the test side, I built the cold-flow test setup, led the hydrostatic proof test campaign, and coordinated the static fire integration. Between test runs, I iterated on the ullage volume using real data to tune combustion stability and impulse delivery.
The Process
Defined the feed system requirements from the motor performance targets: 586 lbf thrust, N₂O oxidizer, 750 psi MEOP. Selected component types (ball valves, burst discs, check valves), laid out the plumbing schematic, and established the pressure relief strategy to ensure safe operation during all test phases.
Built a Python flow model of the oxidizer feed system to predict steady-state and transient pressure losses. Performed discharge coefficient calculations for each orifice and fitting, validated against published data, and used the model to size the feed system for the required oxidizer mass flow rate.
Designed lightweight aluminum endcaps for the oxidizer tank and FEA-validated them in SolidWorks under internal pressure and bolt preload. Performed hand calculations and FEA for the support brackets under combined bending and shear. Iterated geometry to meet margin of safety requirements while keeping mass budget.
Oversaw hydrostatic proof testing of the pressure vessel and all plumbing interfaces at 1.5× MEOP. Instrumented the system with pressure transducers and load cells, monitored for leaks and deformation, and documented test results for structural qualification of the hardware.
Led the cold-flow integration campaign to validate oxidizer flow rates, system timing, and valve actuation sequences. Used cold-flow data to refine the Cd model and iterate on ullage volume. Coordinated with the motor and avionics teams during static fire integration.
Outcome & Results
The feed system hardware is currently machined and in the test and integration phase. Hydrostatic proof testing has been completed, confirming structural qualification of the pressure vessel and plumbing interfaces. Cold-flow testing is ongoing, with each run providing data to refine the flow model and optimize ullage volume for maximum delivered impulse.
The system is on track to support a full static fire campaign ahead of the launch targeting the 20,000 ft altitude record — which would be the highest apogee in Rocket Project UCLA's history.
3D Model
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