Abstract: An insulative piston or piston cap creates a highly thermally resistive path in the axial direction of the piston or piston cap toward a crank case of an engine. An insulative cylinder is configured to be positioned around the insulative piston and adjacent an insulative cylinder head, and to provide thermal resistance in the cylinder's axial direction. The insulated cylinder head is configured to resist heat flow in the axial direction away from the crank case. High temperature insulation surrounding these structures is configured to resist heat flow out of a combustion chamber of the engine. These insulative components, together, form the fully insulated combustion chamber.

Abstract: Monopropellant and pre-mixed bipropellant storage and supply systems for rocket engines and other work producing systems are subject to damage when detonation progresses upstream from a combustion chamber to and through supply lines. Interposing one or more micro porous or micro fluidic elements into the supply conduit can limit the flame front that accompanies such unintended detonation, but inevitably restrict the flow of the propellant to the combustion chamber. A tiered micro fluidic element where a bulk of the element has relatively large pores but forms a structurally robust supports a second, relatively thin region having appropriately small mean pore diameter provides an effective flashback barrier that can resist catastrophic failure during such detonations. Such elements can be used in isolation, or they can be incorporated into detonation wave arrestors or pressure wave-triggered cut-off valves or the like to decrease the incidence of unintended detonations.

Abstract: An apparatus and system disclosed herein provides detonation wave arrestor including a detonation wave deflector and a burst element. The detonation wave arrestor disclosed herein attenuates and defects the propagation of a detonation wave characterized by a supersonic flame front propagation. The detonation wave arrestor provides deflection of detonation wave towards the burst element. The rupture of the burst element provides venting of hot gases remaining from the detonation, thus providing separation and attenuation of combusted gas residuals. The detonation wave arrestor disclosed herein may be used in a combustible fuel delivery system.

Abstract: Disclosed are materials of variable density or tiered porosity micro-fluidic porous media structures of sintered metal or other materials, and methods of making same. An embodiment discloses an aluminum porous media element of variable density having a tiered porosity micro-fluidic media structure. A method of making the aluminum porous media element disclosed herein includes mixing a binding agent with a metal powder to generate a first mixture, heating the first mixture to a sub metal sintering temperature to get a homogeneous composite of the metal powder and heating the homogeneous composite to a metal sintering temperature to sinter-bond the metal powder to get a porous media of first porosity.

Abstract: A flashback-arresting shut-off valve is disclosed herein. Propellant is moved from a propellant reservoir, through the shut-off valve in an open configuration to a point of combustion in a normal propellant flow direction. During a flashback, the propellant is ignited within the propellant line and substantial physical/thermal energy caused by the flashback travels in the direction opposite to the normal propellant flow direction back to the shut-off valve. A burst member within the shut-off valve fails because of the flashback. Failure of the burst member causes compression on a spring-loaded portion of the shut-off valve to be released, thereby closing the shut-off valve and sealing the propellant reservoir from the flashback. Failure of the burst member also causes one or more pressure relief outlets to open that direct the physical/thermal energy and/or un-combusted/combusted propellant out and away from the shut-off valve.

Abstract: Propellants flow through specialized mechanical hardware that is designed for effective and safe ignition and sustained combustion of the propellants. By integrating a micro-fluidic porous media element between a propellant feed source and the combustion chamber, an effective and reliable propellant injector head may be implemented that is capable of withstanding transient combustion and detonation waves that commonly occur during an ignition event. The micro-fluidic porous media element is of specified porosity or porosity gradient selected to be appropriate for a given propellant. Additionally the propellant injector head design integrates a spark ignition mechanism that withstands extremely hot running conditions without noticeable spark mechanism degradation.

Abstract: Compositions and methods herein provide monopropellants comprising nitrous oxide mixed with organic fuels in particular proportions creating stable, storable, monopropellants which demonstrate high ISP performance. Due to physical properties of the nitrous molecule, fuel/nitrous blends demonstrate high degrees of miscibility as well as excellent chemical stability. While the monopropellants are particularly well suited for use as propulsion propellants, they also lend themselves well to power generation in demanding situations where some specific cycle creates useable work and for providing gas pressure and/or heat for inflating deployable materials.

Abstract: High performance propellants flow through specialized mechanical hardware that allows for effective and safe thermal decomposition and/or combustion of the propellants. By integrating a sintered metal component between a propellant feed source and the combustion chamber, an effective and reliable fuel injector head may be implemented. Additionally the fuel injector head design integrates a spark ignition mechanism that withstands extremely hot running conditions without noticeable spark mechanism degradation.