The Design of a Rocket Propulsion Labview Data Acquisition and Control System

When designing a rocket engine, both the propulsion system and propellant choice(s) are an important deciding factor. Desired rocket engine behavior, specific impulse, and levels of thrust are all different between the various propulsion systems. A bi-propellant cryogenic liquid 5lbf, 500lbf, and 2000lbf rocket engine was designed and manufactured by UTEP. The 5lbf rocket engine is a Reaction Control Engine and the 500lbf and 2000lbf rocket engine is a throttleable Main Engine. To provide a reliable and safe data acquisition and control system for this experiment, a Real-Time control platform was needed. A compact DAQ system was purchased and configured to gather all of the data and a compact RIO system was purchased and programmed to provide autonomous, Real-Time control of the system.