Cryogenic Test Stand Data Acquisition Design - Pangea Aerospace
Photo from: www.usclpl.com
Project Overview
Over the course of a few months during the Fall 2020 semester, the Cryogenic Test Stand Team took on the task to design a rocket test stand for Pangea Aerospace from scratch. There were many requirements that had to be met to ensure efficient testing and safety. Once the system hardware was sufficiently designed, the DAQ team was tasked with designing the electrical system to extract data and control the tests. As part of the DAQ team, I designed this system. Under the leadership of Shobhita Rajashekar, the myself and the rest of the DAQ team successfully delivered the prototype design to Pangea Aerospace.
DAQ System Components
Thermocouples/RTDs: monitor system temperatures
Pressure Transducers: monitor propellant/fuel pressures
Flow Meter: monitor propellant flow
Gas Monitor: toxic/dangerous gas detection
Load Cells: measure rocket thrust
Solenoid Valves/Regulator: control flow of pressurized gas
Emergency Stop: abort rocket tests
Additional Sensors: built in for future modification
DAQ Team Final System Architecture Schematics; Revision 4, Sheet 3
DAQ Team Final System Architecture Schematics; Revision 4, Sheet 4
Project Achievements
Upon concluding the project and presenting it to the client, Pangea Aerospace, we as a lab, were excited to learn that Pangea was impressed. Pangea decided to continue to partner with USC LPL for the next phase of the design project.