About the Engine Test Stand

Development of LRA's engine test stand began alongside the Taurus I hybrid engine prototype. Composed of a horizontal test bed and a series of fluid control panels, the engine test stand will be instrumental to LRA's upcoming hot-fire test of the Taurus engine and future hybrid engine prototypes. Currently, the LRA is in the process of installing various hardware components at the test site at UT Austin's J.J. Pickle Research Campus. 

Test Stand Components

The test stand consists of the following components:

• Fluid panel - controls the nitrous oxide, nitrogen purge, nitrogen pneumatic, and water lines.

• Horizontal test bed - holds the engine and measures engine thrust.

• Junction box - organizes wires from all electronic components.

• Test control box - organizes sensor data and powers electronic components.

• Data acquisition system - receives sensor data and reads it to a computer.

Accomplishments

So far, the Taurus team has completed 3 fire suppression system tests and 2 igniter tests. The team plans to cold flow and hot fire the engine multiple times by the end of the spring 2023 semester.

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