What is one effect of changing to smaller injector orifices in a hybrid rocket engine?

When smaller injector orifices are used in a hybrid rocket engine, one significant effect is a decreased average thrust. This occurs because the reduction in the size of the injector orifices limits the amount of oxidizer that can be introduced into the combustion chamber at any given time. Since the combustion process in a hybrid rocket relies on the proper ratio of fuel and oxidizer to produce thrust, a smaller orifice can restrict the flow, thereby reducing the total mass flow rate of the oxidizer.

Thrust in rocket engines is directly proportional to the mass flow rate of the propellant and the exhaust velocity. With lower oxidizer flow due to the smaller orifices, the overall thrust generated during combustion decreases. This situation results in the engine producing less average thrust, which is critical for reaching desired performance levels during flight.

While other aspects of the engine's performance may be influenced by varying injector orifice sizes, the immediate result of smaller orifices is that it leads to a reduction in the average thrust produced by the rocket engine.