Propellant Grade Hydrazine in Mono/Bi-propellant Thrusters: Preparation and Performance Evaluation

Abstract

Propellant grade hydrazine was prepared with 64 per cent yield and 95.5 per cent purity. Purity of the propellant grade hydrazine was determined using wet chemical, gas chromatographic (GC) and eudiometric methods. It was observed that the compositions containing blends of hydrazine-methyl alcohol-ammonium nitrate and hydrazine-methyl alcohol-ammonium perchlorate were not found to be frozen even after cooling to -65 °C for 30 minutes. Mono and bi-propellant thrusters were designed and developed to demonstrate the performance of prepared propellant grade hydrazine as a promising rocket fuel. Five static tests with 22 N thruster and one static test with 1 N thruster were performed successfully in mono-propellant mode. The hurdles of chamber pressure oscillations were overcome by compact packing of the catalyst. The desired decomposition and chamber pressure were achieved. One static test was performed successfully with 60 N bi-propellant thruster. The desired chamber pressure and thrust were achieved. The combustion was smooth and C* achieved was higher than that of UH-25, N 2 O 4 combination. The performance of prepared propellant grade hydrazine shows it as a promising rocket fuels.

Thermal Decomposition of Ammonium Dinitramide (ADN) as Green Energy Source for Space Propulsion

“…The demand for satellites has increased significantly due to the heavy requirements and rapid development of aerospace technologies. In the past decades, conventional propellants, such as hydrazine, have been widely used for attitude and reaction control systems (RCAs) in satellites [1][2][3]. However, hydrazine propellants pose significant risks to both humans and the environment due to their high toxicity.…”