Ammonium solid rocket propellant

NANOCAT Superfine Iron Oxide(SFIO) is a novel bum-rate catalyst and performs superbly in solid rocket propellants based on ammonium perchlorate (AP). SFIO provides a higher burn rate and lower pressure exponent compared with commercial iron oxides at equal concentrations. Some characteristics of NANOCAT SFIO as a burn-rate catalyst are as follows ... 

NTO is being developed in many areas these include i) a substitute for ammonium perchlorate or ammonium nitrate in solid rocket propellants, since it does not liberate undesirable products such as HC1 and has quite a high burn rate compared to ammonium perchlorate and ammonium nitrate, ii) used as a burning rate modifier for composite propellants, iii) replacing RDX and HMX in composite solid propel-... 

Ammonium perchlorate forms colorless orthorhombic crystals or a white powder or granules. The crystals decompose when heated into oxygen and ammonium chloride. The salt is readily soluble in water, but relatively insoluble in most organic solvents. Ammonium perchlorate is widely used in solid rocket propellants. The salt is a strong oxidizer, and should be kept away from combustible materials and sources of possible ignition. Store ammonium perchlorate in tightly sealed bottles in a cool place, and away from sunlight. 

ADNBF forms white to yellowish crystals, which decompose when heated to 270 Celsius. It may be used in explosives compositions, but its primary use is in solid rocket propellants, where it exhibits exceptional combustion properties equal to, or superior to ammonium perchlorate. ADNBF can be alloyed with TNT, RDX, or other high-energy secondary explosives for use in military or commercial blasting compositions. ADNBF also shows interests in pyrotechnic compositions, and in primary explosive compositions for use in blasting caps. ... 

Detonation of NH4NO3 may be initiated by another explosion, and ammonium perchlorate is similarly metastable with respect to oxidation of the [NH4] cation by the anion NH4CIO4 is used in solid rocket propellants, e.g. in the booster rockets of the space shuttle. 

Ammonium perchlorate, an important constituent of solid rocket propellants, has been found in the groundwaters of several US federal states and in the water... 

The detection of ammonium perchlorate, an important constituent of solid rocket propellants, in the ground waters of some U.S. federal states is alarming. Significant amounts have been measured in areas where rocket fuel, ammunition, or pyrotechnic articles are developed, tested, or manufactured. Even in low concentrations, perchlorate represents a health risk for human beings, because it affects hormone production in the thyroid. Initial investigations by the U.S. EPA indicate a health risk at perchlorate concentrations above 4-18 Hg/L. In California, perchlorate has been detected in more than 100 drinking water wells 20 of them had to be closed because they exceed the above-mentioned limit. Trace analysis of perchlorate is a difficult analytical task. Ion chromatogra-... 

Ammonium perchlorate is the primary oxidizer used for solid rocket propellant formulations, in large part because of its gas-generating capabilities. Ammonium perchlorate has been shown to be capable of catalytic decomposition, with metal oxides such as iron(III) oxide the most commonly used materials. A low percentage of catalyst added to a propellant formulation can produce a significant increase in propellant burn rate. 

The solid rocket boosters of the Space Shuttle are appropriately named for the solid propellant loaded within them. The ignition provided by the reaction of the solid aluminum powder and ammonium perchlorate powder generates a finely divided white powder known as alumina, various gases, and an extensive amount of heat. The dispersal of the white powder in the gases streaming from the boosters creates the billowy white appearance. 

The propellant mixture in each solid rocket booster of the Space Shuttle contains ammonium perchlorate ( the oxidizer, 69.6% by weight), aluminum ( the fuel, 16% by weight), an iron oxide catalyst (0.4% by weight), a polymeric binder that... 

Miller, R. R., and Guimont, J. M Ammonium Dinitramide Based Propellants, Solid Rocket Technical Committee Lecture Series, AlAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Reno, Nevada, 1994. 

The "newest" oxidizer to appear in pyrotechnics, ammonium perchlorate has found considerable use in modern solid-fuel rocket propellants and in the fireworks industry. The space shuttle alone uses approximately two million pounds of solid fuel per launch the mixture is 70% ammonium perchlorate, 16% aluminum metal, and 14% organic polymer. 

The rockets with solid composite propellants consisting of ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer), pulverized aluminum powder, special additives and binder-cum-fuel such as poly(butadiene-acrylic acid-acrylonitrile (PBAN), carboxy-terminated... 

Ammonium Perchlorate. Ammonium perchlorate is a colorless, crystalline compound having a density of 1.95 g/mL and a molecular weight of 117.5. It is prepared by a double displacement reaction between sodium perchlorate and ammonium chloride, and is crystallized from water as the anhydrous salt. The perchlorates, especially those of the light metals and ammonium ion, are favored as solid oxidizers for rocket propellants. 

Anhydrous perchloric acid is not sold commercially, Aqueous solutions of perchloric acid are sold at low concentrations foi analytical standard applications and at concentrations up to 70%. The price for 70% perchloric acid varies and starts at 2.70/kg, depending on the quantity and level of impurities. The U.S. domestic capacity of ammonium perchlorate is roughly estimated at 31,250 t/yr. The actual production vanes, based on the requirements for solid propellants. Environmental effects of the decomposition products, which result from using solid rocket motors based on ammonium perchlorate-containing propellants, are expected to keep increasing public pressure until consumption is reduced and alternatives are developed. Approximately 450 t/yr of NH+ClCXt-equivalent cell liquor is sold to produce magnesium and lithium perchlorate for use in the production of batteries. 

It takes a lot of force to get a space shuttle out of the grip of Earth s gravity. Two solid rocket boosters filled with a solid mixture of ammonium perchlorate and aluminum metal, called the propellant, produce most of that force. The rockets also contain a catalyst made of iron oxide, which speeds up the burning of the propellant. Another material called the binder holds everything together. All together, the propellant, the catalyst, and the binder make up the solid material inside the rocket boosters. 

Perchlorates are the most oxidized of the salts of the chlorooxyacids. Although perchlorates are not particularly toxic, ammonium perchlorate (NH4C104) should be mentioned because it is a powerful oxidizer and reactive chemical produced in large quantities as a fuel oxidizer in solid rocket fuels. Each of the U.S. space shuttle booster rockets contains about 350,000 kg of ammonium perchlorate in its propellant mixture. By 1988, U.S. consumption of ammonium perchlorate for rocket fuel uses was of the order of 24 million kg/year. In May 1988, a series of massive explosions in Henderson, Nevada, demolished one of only two plants producing ammonium perchlorate for the U.S. space shuttle, MX missile, and other applications, so that supplies were severely curtailed. The plant has since been rebuilt. 

New prepolymers based on 3,3-bis (azidomethyl) oxetane (BAMO) and 3-nitratomethyl- 3-methy-loxetane (NMMO) are used in advanced pintle-controllable solid rocket motor applications. These polymers yield favorable propellant energy with the combination of nitrato esters and ammonium nitrate, and allow solid propellant designs to compete with liquid propellants in arenas of energy management, approaching true start-stop-restart operation. 

Solid propellants of essentially all solid rocket boosters are based on a mixture of aluminum (Al, fuel) and ammonium perchlorate (AP, oxidizer). 

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