BACKGROUND: DANIEL R' KIRK

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BACKGROUND DANIEL R. KIRK

• Current Appointment (2004-Present)
• Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace
  Engineering Department
• Education
• Post-Doctoral Scholar, 2002-2003, MIT
• Ph.D., Propulsion, 2002, MIT
• M.S., 1999, MIT
• B.S., 1997, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• NASA Summer Faculty Fellow
• Marshall Space Flight Center, Propulsion Research
  Laboratory, 2004 and 2005
• Kennedy Space Center, Vehicle Analysis Branch,
  2007
• Teaching
• Viscous Flows (Graduate Level)
• Combustion (Graduate Level)
• Rockets and Mission Analysis
• Air-Breathing Engines
• Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics
• Thermodynamics
• Introduction to Aerospace Practice

• Research Interests
• Air-breathing and rocket propulsion, fluids
  dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer,
  combustion, aerodynamics, energy systems and
  power generation
• Research Partners and Funding Agencies
• NASA MSFC and KSC, Air Force, Advanced Magnet
  Laboratory, Florida Turbine Technologies, Florida
  Space Grant Consortium, Space Florida
• Current Advising
• 6 Masters Students
• 6 journal publications and 23 conference papers
• Selected Publications
• Kirk, D.R., Creviston, D.O., and Waitz, I.A.,
  Aeroacoustic Measurement of Transient Hot Nozzle
  Flows, Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 17,
  No. 4, 2001, pp. 928-935.
• Lukachko, S.P., Kirk, D.R., Waitz, I.A., Turbine
  Durability Impacts of High Fuel-Air Ratio
  Combustors, Part 1 Potential for Intra-Turbine
  Oxidation of Partially-Reacted Fuel, ASME
  Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and
  Power. Vol. 125, Issue 3, 2003, pp. 742-750.
• Kirk, D.R., Guenette, G.R., Lukachko, S.P.,
  Waitz, I.A., Turbine Durability Impacts of High
  Fuel-Air Ratio Combustors, Part 2 Near Wall
  Reaction Effects on a Film-Cooled Flat Plate and
  Application to Gas Turbine Heat Transfer, ASME
  Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and
  Power. Vol. 125, Issue 3, 2003, pp. 751-759.
• Milanes, D., Kirk, D.R., Waitz, I.A., Near-Wall
  Reaction Effects on Film-Cooled Backward Facing
  Step Heat Transfer, ASME Journal of Engineering
  for Gas Turbines and Power. Accepted for 2005.

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THERMO-FLUID DYNAMIC MODELING FORSPACECRAFT AND
ROCKET APPLICATIONS, NASA KSC

• Experimental, Analytical and Numerical (CFD)
  modeling of cryogenic propellants
• Make relevant predictions for current rocket
  fleet launch versus no launch, allowable coast,
  etc.
• Complex physical problems including slosh,
  combustion, boiling, rotation in low-gravity, etc.

Reduced gravity slosh experiment to be flown on
KC-135 in 2008
g/gearth1
g/gearth10-1
g/gearth10-2
Example of transient CFD calculations
(non-dimensional propellant Temperatures for low
gravity, free convection thermal stratification
modeling
Modeling of isogrid internal tank geometry
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NTREES NUCLEAR THERMAL ROCKET ENVIRONMENTAL
ELEMENT SIMULATOR AND CORE MODELING, NASA MSFC

• Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) leading
  candidate for human Mars mission
• Non-nuclear testing in hot H2 environment key to
  engine development
• Design of 1.5M experiment for NASA MSFC
• Materials characterization/performance/stability
  in hot H2 (up to 3,200 K)
• Numerical and analytical investigation of novel
  grooved-ring reactor core concept

High temperature, high pressure non-nuclear
materials evaluation chamber
Numerical modeling of novel reactor core
concept promises improved specific impulse and
reduced thermal fatigue
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TRANSIENT SHOCK TUBE FACILITIES

• Transient shock tube facilities
• Operate at high enthalpy conditions (T2500 K and
  P30 atm.)
• Probe basic physics, fluids, thermo, heat
  transfer, combustion, acoustics
• Partnering with University of Florida, School of
  Medicine, Department of Neuroscience to perform
  blast-induced trauma studies (funded by DOD and
  NIH)

7.5 m (25 ft) Long, 15 cm (6 in) Diameter 1 m
(3ft) Long, 2.5 cm (1 in) Diameter
SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETIC SHIELDS

• Goal Protect astronauts and spacecraft from
  dangerous cosmic and galactic radiation
• Ultra-Light self inflating and sustaining SC
  magnets
• Persistent mode, flux pump excitation

Shield
Spacecraft
Numerous new innovative concepts for spacecraft
radiation shielding, propulsion, and auxiliary
power using SC magnets Development of Monte-Carlo
modeling tools
Spacecraft
Optimized configuration of ultra light-weight,
self-inflating toroidal shield elements
Initial particle trajectory
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ROCKET PROJECTS

• Numerous rocket projects ranging from freshman
  through graduate level
• Development of a 6 degree of freedom solid rocket
  motor thrust stand for Space Florida capable of
  measuring axial thrusts up to 10,000 lbf, as well
  as off-axis thrust and torques
• Projects with USAF 45th Space Wing to develop
  flight termination systems for solid motors
• Partnering with NASA KSC and USAF 45th Space Wing
  to upgrade NASA Universal Controls Analysis Tool
  (UCAT) for solid rocket motor modeling and
  student competitions
• 1st University to fly student-designed and build
  solid rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force
  Station
• Student projects on hybrid rockets and Edge of
  Space (57 mile altitude) attempt in October 2007

6 degree of freedom solid rocket motor thrust
stand concept, to be located at CCAFS
JAMSTAR Rocket 80,000 ft
Panther 1, first student rocket from KSC
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OTHER PROJECTS

• MICRO-ROCKETS AND MICRO-TURBOMACHINERY
• Silicon fabricated, rapid production
• Smallest feature 0.1 mm
• Collaborative efforts with MIT, Ventions Inc.,
  and Mainstream engineering
• Analytical, numerical (CFD), and experimental

• SECONDARY COMBUSTION FILM COOLING DESIGN (PW)
• Future engines will increase overall fuel-air
  ratio
• Develop understanding of turbine combustion
  events and evolve design tools
• Flat plate experiment to capture change in heat
  flux with cooling and reaction
• Integration into turbine film-cooling design
  systems

• ELECTROMAGNETIC LAUNCH TECHNOLOGYFOR
  HYPERVELOCITY (USAF/AML/SBIR I, II)
• Coaxial non-contact launch tube filled with low
  pressure helium
• Constant-flux pulsed synchronous propulsion
  system
• Persistent mode HTS coils for propulsion
  self-centering suspension