PERC: Overview |
With the support and guidance of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, Penn State
established a Propulsion Engineering Research
Center. Our mission is to enhance and broaden the
capabilities of America's engineering community to
meet the future needs of the propulsion industry.
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Penn State has a long history of a commitment to
excellence in propulsion-related engineering
research and education, and offers an impressive
array of educational programs, faculty, and
facilities uniquely appropriate to accomplish your
educational objectives in propulsion engineering.
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Mission Statement |
| The Propulsion Engineering Research Center (PERC) is also in search of
exceptional candidates for selection as NASA
Trainees in Space Propulsion Engineering. Minorities and women are encouraged
to apply. A number of mechanisms are in place to support graduate students
at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels. The mission of the Propulsion Engineering
Research Center is to provide excellence in educating students in the area
of propulsion, while also maintaining excellence in both traditional as
well as revolutionary areas of research.
This primary educational mission of the Center is complemented by
a clear commitment to being a productive member of the propulsion community
through participation and sponsorship of technical conferences, workshops,
short courses and collaborative research programs involving both industry
and government laboratories. In
achieving this mission, the Center strives to lead in the identification
of new promising areas of research as well as adapt to changing priorities
in terms of student education and research directions.
Through its emphasis on the education of students as the primary
objective of its mission, particularly at the graduate level, the Center
aims to impact propulsion and propulsion-related industries as well as universities
and government laboratories by providing highly skilled engineers who are
prepared to contribute to this diverse field.
In its role as an active member of the propulsion research community,
the Center aims toward an international presence to enhance both its education
and research activities, since propulsion is a global industry with wide
ranging impacts on our technological world.
By providing a clear focus on propulsion research at Penn State,
the Center aims to facilitate faculty involvement in propulsion through
its ability to help recruit students, identify promising areas of research,
assist in the preparation of proposals and provide specialized facilities.
Through achievement of this goal, the Propulsion Engineering Research
Center strives to maintain its position as the premier university-based
research center in propulsion which is recognized nationally and internationally
for its excellence. |
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PERC Research Program
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| A broad research program integrating chemical, electrical, and advanced
propulsion for space applications has been established, which complements
traditional strengths in gas turbine, diesel and spark-ignited engine research.
The focus for space applications is chemical propulsion, with an emphasis
on combustion and turbomachinery. |
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Diverse Research Activities
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| Penn State's Propulsion Engineering Research Center (PERC) is an integrated
group of students, faculty, and staff conducting fundamental research on
a diverse set of propulsion-related problems. An annual research budget
of approximately $3.5 million supports research in the areas of liquid chemical,
solid chemical, and advanced propulsion systems for space applications,
as well as related work in the areas of gas turbines, diesel engines, and
internal combustion engines. |
| For example, the first ever liquid oxygen drop size measurements were
recently obtained under combusting, high pressure rocket chamber conditions
in PERC's Cryogenic Combustion Laboratory. Related studies of spray atomization
involve the use of X-Ray radiography, laser-based drop sizing, and two-dimensional
laser imaging techniques to probe the liquid break-up and drop formation
phenomena under conditions appropriate to rocket engine combustors. Additionally,
the area of emissions from combustion devices is a traditional focus of
PERC researchers. State-of-the-art diagnostics are used to characterize
processes controlling emissions under practical operating conditions relevant
to actual propulsion systems. |
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Students as Active Researchers
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| Approximately seventy graduate students are working with faculty who
are leaders in their respective disciplines on Center-funded or Center-related
projects exploring new frontiers in the field of propulsion engineering.
Undergraduate students also work with PERC faculty and graduate student
mentors to gain exposure to the world of propulsion engineering. A close
working relationship has been forged with NASA and industry research and
development activities to allow faculty and student researchers to address
cutting-edge problems in a focused research effort. Consequently, recent
PERC graduates are employed at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Rocketdyne,
Philips Laboratory, Allison Gas Turbine, General Electric, and other leading
aerospace companies and research centers. |
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