The Role of Advanced Sensors in Propellant Technology

To understand the dynamics of combustion, sophisticated sensor systems are used to provide data on thermal dynamics, energy transfers and combustion processes.

Machine Design spoke with Dr. John Granier, chief engineer of munitions and energetics at Element U.S. Space & Defense, along with Dr. Michelle Pantoya, J.W. Wright Regents Chair in mechanical engineering and professor at Texas Tech, about their collaboration on this research. In this second of a five-part series, we learn that effective development of propellants requires high accuracy in measurement techniques.

The sensor systems employed by Element and Texas Tech use advanced principles of physics to capture critical details about combustion. By applying technologies that quantify light intensity emission across multiple wavelengths, Pantoya noted, they get insights into how thermal energy moves through a system. Granier said that one of the main changes since his days as a student at Texas Tech is the high-speed camera. “This is allowing us to get almost...a thousand times more data than we could have gotten 20 years ago,” he added.

Watch additional parts of this interview series with Dr. John Granier and Dr. Michelle Pantoya:

Part 1: Forging the Future of Defense with Modern Methodologies

Part 3: Prototyping Solutions for the Defense Industry

Part 4: Assessing Effectiveness and Reliability in Prototype Development

Part 5: The Future of Defense Engineering: Trends and Insights

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