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Block diagram of the Vulcan test data acquisition system: load cells, pressure transducers and thermocouples feed analog-to-digital converters and a central processing unit, which connects to SD card storage, status LEDs, relays, an N2O solenoid, an igniter, power and an Ethernet or wireless link to a ground station.
SYS-PRPropulsion· 2025–2026

Project Vulcan

ARD's own hybrid rocket engine, working towards its first static fire.

01Overview

What it does

Project Vulcan is ARD's research and development programme for a safe, functioning SRAD hybrid rocket engine, burning paraffin with nitrous oxide. Its first goal is a static fire. After that come a rocket-sized hybrid engine, and eventually liquid propulsion or Spaceport America.

The engine is developed as six subsystems: ignition, fuel grain, liner, oxidiser feed, combustion chamber and the test rig, each with its own report. The team has also run CFD parametric studies of the converging-diverging nozzle.

02Lineage

How it evolved

Each step built on the last, rocket by rocket.

  1. 2025

    Programme set up

    ARD started an SRAD hybrid engine programme with a systems engineering document and design reviews (PDR and CDR).

  2. 2026

    Subsystem design

    Subsystem reports cover ignition, the fuel grain, the liner, oxidiser feed, the combustion chamber and the test rig, with a static-fire report template ready for results.

Functional decomposition diagram for the Vulcan hybrid engine combustion chamber and nozzle, shown as a tree of labelled boxes.
Vulcan combustion chamber and nozzle functional diagram.
Functional decomposition diagram for the Vulcan oxidiser feed system, shown as a tree of labelled boxes.
Vulcan oxidiser feed system functional diagram.
Block diagram of the Vulcan test data acquisition system: load cells, pressure transducers and thermocouples feed analog-to-digital converters and a central processing unit, which connects to SD card storage, status LEDs, relays, an N2O solenoid, an igniter, power and an Ethernet or wireless link to a ground station.
Vulcan data acquisition system block diagram.

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