Aerojet Validates Unique Tri-Fluid Injector for Air Force Advanced Reusable Rocket Engine

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 10, 2002 -- Aerojet successfully validated its design of a revolutionary tri-fluid propellant injector for non-toxic hydrogen peroxide engines. The injector is a component of the Advanced Reusable Rocket Engine that Aerojet is developing for the Air Force's Space Maneuver Vehicle.

The hot fire testing in February and March demonstrated the injector's performance capabilities including its reliable ignition and its stability even at twice the normal throttling range. Tests were conducted on a sub-scale version of the injector using two different injector patterns. Both performed successfully, and one will be chosen for the full-scale tri-fluid injector. Test results indicate that acceptable performance was achieved for both element types. Also, the injector element chug threshold was much lower than anticipated and will serve to provide additional throttling capability well beyond what is required.

"The tri-fluid injector is an invention that will enable a closed-cycle hydrogen peroxide engine to perform similarly to conventional toxic rocket engines while providing high throttleability for a variety of vehicle missions. Completing this testing has validated our injector element design and significantly reduces the risk as we move forward into full-scale testing," said Dave Gallet, Aerojet Advanced Reusable Rocket Engine program manager.

What makes the tri-fluid injector unique is that decomposed peroxide, used to drive the turbopump, is exhausted into the tri-fluid injector to ignite the engine's hydrogen peroxide and jet fuel propellants. This creates a closed-cycle engine system that does not dump propellants overboard like a typical gas generator cycle engine. The result is higher performance and a wider range of throttleability.

Detailed design of the full-scale tri-fluid injector is nearing completion. Hot fire tests are planned for late summer 2002. Aerojet is conducting all injector tests in its new, state-of-the-art peroxide engine test facility, which was built for hands-on development of rocket engines containing environmentally friendly hydrogen peroxide propellants.

Aerojet's Advanced Reusable Rocket Engine is a non-toxic, hydrogen peroxide engine that utilizes advanced injection concepts, fabrication processes and chamber materials. The Air Force's Space Maneuver Vehicle is an unmanned space vehicle envisioned as a reusable satellite bus. The ARRE also has applications on the Space Launch Initiative, NASA's effort to develop technologies for a second-generation reusable launch vehicle.

Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, and defense and armaments markets. Aerojet's Web site address is http://www.aerojet.com.

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