Polytechnique Montreal
Small-Scale Test Facilities for the Development  and Characterization of Novel Hybrid Rocket Fuel Systems — PI: Dr. Étienne Robert. Access to space is of critical  importance to a broad range of fields of science and industry, including space  exploration and telecommunications. However, launching remains a complex and  expensive task. There is a need to reduce the cost of access to space by  finding novel means of propulsion. The purpose of this project is to develop a  simple and low-cost method of testing how liquefying solid fuels burn under the  conditions encountered in a hybrid rocket engine. A novel laboratory-scale  facility will be developed for the investigation of the fluid properties of the  melt layer formed on the surface of rocket fuel as it burns. The experiment  will focus on the development of new propellant formulations for hybrid  engines.