In the summer of 2023, a team at Kingston University in partnership with an external company successfully imaged combustion inside a hybrid rocket engine using a non-invasive method called Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) at the National Rocketry Competition. I got to work with the team members over the summer in the new rocket lab at Kingston University where I learned more about their work, which piqued my interest in their findings from the reconstructed ECT combustion images.
Upon discussing their findings, it was found that the quality of the reconstructed images was limited because the reconstruction algorithm did not account for how the temperature, pressure and density affected the permittivity of the combustion in the hybrid rocket engine. As a result of this, I am now working towards an MSc by Research intending to improve ECT imaging accuracy to allow for enhanced analysis of hybrid rocket engines. My aim is to deepen the current understanding of how hybrid rocket engines work by enhancing the accuracy of the reconstruction algorithm for ECT.
I completed my Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Astronautics, and Space Technology at Kingston University in 2023, where I broadened my knowledge in various subjects such as Project Management, Systems Engineering, Spacecraft Design, Propulsion, and additional accompanying subjects. These skills allowed me to work on various projects in the Kingston University Rocket Engineering (KURE) Society.
I was able to utilise the skills I had learned during my undergraduate studies to lead a team in building and launching a rocket for the Mach23 competition in the summer of 2023, where we achieved new records for Kingston University. After roughly a year's break, I am now pursuing my MSc by Research.