At our Westcott facility, we have a well-equipped on-site mechanical workshop and instrumentation lab and two rocket engine test bays covering a variety of propellants and thrust ratings up to 40kN. We are able to test at higher thrust levels elsewhere on the Westcott site if required. Each test bay has extensive data acquisition and control support, which can be extended for specific experimental requirements as necessary. Raw data and automated reports are available immediately after a firing is complete, allowing rapid turnaround and efficient test schedules.
The J1 test bay can accommodate a variety of different engine types, with a modular structure to which customer experiments can be quickly attached, minimising setup and teardown time. The J1 bay has been used with a wide range of propellants including low-toxicity nitrous oxide and isopropyl alcohol, carbon monoxide, pre-mixed propellants, and hybrid and solid rockets. We are currently upgrading J1 to provide liquid oxygen and kerosene for an upcoming research programme.
Our J2 test bay has a purpose-built high-pressure air flow system for air-breathing rocket engine research. This facility includes a high flow rate air and hydrogen supply, water cooling, water-spray sound suppression, and automatic metering valves on all propellant lines. Our custom designed metering valves are digitally controlled and can either follow a specific mass flow profile to better than 1% accuracy or can be set to allow closed loop control of engine operating conditions such as chamber pressure. J2 has predominantly been used for air-breathing rocket work and gaseous propellants in recent years.
