≪Affiliation≫
Professor, The University of Tokyo
Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics

≪Career≫
1992 Mar. Dr. of Engineering from The Univ. of Tokyo
1998 Apr. Associate Professor, The Univ. of Tokyo
2009 Mar. Professor, The Univ. of Tokyo

Laboratory Website

Komurasaki/koizumi Lab. in Dept. Aeronautics & Astronautics (Hongo Campus)
Koizumi Lab. in Dept.Advanced Energy (Kashiwa Campus)

Topics

2023,Sept. 15-17: Symposium on in-situ utilization of regolith resources by laser heating was held in Shanghai。
2023,June 3-9: 34th International Symposium on Space Technology and Science was held in Kurume.
2023,Mar. 24: Aluminium Energy Cycle workshop 2022 was held in Shinjyuku.
2023,Mar. 15-18: 11th Asian Joint Conference on Propulsion and Power was held in Kanazawa.
2022,Mar. 9-11: 61th Aerospace Propulsion Conference was held in Yonago.
2020, Mar. 25-26: 8th Workshop on Discharge Induced in High-Energy Electromagnetic Beam was held online.
2019, Nov. 21,22: 5th Space Solar Power System Symposium was held in Hongo campus.
2019, May 24: The article "propellant-free rocket will fly by electromagnetic waves was publicshed in the Nikkei.
2019, Mar. 8-10: Organized 6th Workshop on Discharge Induced in High-Energy Electromagnetic Beam.
2015, Apr. 1: Moved to Dept. Aeronautics & Astronautics.
2014, Jun. 25: Uploaded a movie on WPT to a battery-less helicopter.
2013, Mar. 7-9: Hosted Shock Wave Symposium at the UT Kashiwa campus
2010, Jan. 15: Press Release "Microwave Rocket launched"
2007, Aug. 2,3: Hosted 10th SPS sysmposium at Kashiwa Campus.
2007, Jun. 26: "Power Transmission to a Micro Aerial Vehicle" won the AIAA Best Paper Award.

Research and Educational Objectives

In my series of Space Propulsion lectures, I’m teaching best O/F mixtures and engine cycles in liquid propellant rockets and design of satellite thruster systems, etc. However, these lectures show the limits of conventional chemical rockets which exsibit quite small payload ratios, and state that intergalactic journey or large space infrastructures such as space colonies, for example, will be technically impossible even when chemical rocket technology is revised.
For full-scale space development and for genuine mankind's space age, a technological breakthrough in space transportation systems is inevitable. Our research and educational objectives are to promote creativity in young students in the aerospace field, who are expected to realize them. Through their trials to produce original and innovative technologies by combining "electromagnetic and light energies," "plasma acceleration," "wireless power transmission" etc. as well as combustion and engines, they are trained to have a spirit to challenge interdisciplinary researches and have connections with the scientists and technologies in various related fields.

Research Fields

1) Laser Propulsion, Microwave Rocket
Both are air-breathing pulse detonation engines powered by an energy beam remotely irradiated from the ground, and alternative launch systems capable to reduce the launch cost by two orders. Launch tests of Microwave Rocket are conducted using a MW-output Gyrotron in QST, Naka, and 30 N of thrust was recorded in 2011. Next target is launching a kg-rocket model to 10 m altitude. As for the Laser propulsion, Laser Supported Detonation (mechanism in which light energy is converted to a shock wave) are being studied experimentally and analytically. Their flight trajectory and transportation cost are also analyzed. In 2019, a gyrotron with 600 kW output power will be installed in our cumpus.
Animations in which Microwave Rocket plays an important role is available here. (In Japanese)

2) Hall Thruster
We've been studying Hall thrusters, which are now most popular electric propulsion for satellites, since 1980's. Then, we just stared the development of 25kW Hall thruster system RAIJIN cooperating with all Japanese universities, institutes and industries who are interested in it. Our original ideas and patents to stabilize discharge and to prolong lifetime will be incorporated. Our PIC-DSMC plasma simulation code is ready to use for thruster design optimization. Proposal of a hyperbolic-equation system for strongly magnetized electron fluids is our challenge to reduce the simulation cost drastically.



3) Alumina Reduction by Laser Ablation Towards Use of Moon Resources
Aiming at development of a new method of alumina reduction that is useful for ore mined from the moon, experiments of alumina reduction using CW laser ablation were conducted using a kW-class CW CO2 laser with 400W-2000W power. A laser-sustained plasma wind tunnel is our original device in the world. The laser is focused by a ZnSe convex lens and plasma is sustained near the focal point in the middle of plenum chamber. Then, the plasma flow is extracted though a nozzle. It has achieved high stagnation pressure of about 10 bar, which is the condition simulating Venus entry. The laser wind tunnel can also be used to simulate an high energy atomic oxygen flow in Low Earth Orbit.

4) Computational Fluid Dynamics.

For Prospective Students

International students are welcome!
I can accept students only for the degree in Aeronautics & Astronautics, Graduate School of Engineering.

Kimiya KOMURASAKI, Dr. MENU

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