Propellant, hydrogen peroxide

RocketPropella.nts, Liquid propellants have long been used to obtain maximum controUabiUty of rocket performance and, where required, maximum impulse. Three classes of rocket monopropellants exist that differ ia the chemical reactions that release energy (/) those consisting of, eg, hydrogen peroxide, ethylene oxide, C2H4O and nitroethane, CH2CH2NO2 that can undergo internal oxidation—reduction reactions (2) those... 

Propellant. The catalytic decomposition of 70% hydrogen peroxide or greater proceeds rapidly and with sufficient heat release that the products are oxygen and steam (see eq. 5). The thmst developed from this reaction can be used to propel torpedoes and other small missiles (see Explosives and propellants). An even greater amount of energy is developed if the hydrogen peroxide or its decomposition products are used as an oxidant with a variety of fuels. 

A mixture of lithium with hydrogen peroxide combusts immediately. It has been used as a propellant for rockets. 

Monomethylhydrazine is a clear, colorless liquid used extensively in military applications as a missile and rocket propellant, in chemical power sources, and as a solvent and chemical intermediate. Upon contact with strong oxidizers (e.g., hydrogen peroxide, nitrogen tetroxide, chlorine, fluorine) spontaneous ignition may occur. 

Hydrazine hydrate is used as a reducing agent in synthetic and analytical reactions and as a solvent for many inorganic compounds. It also is used with methanol as a propellant for rocket engines. Another apphcation is catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. 

In propellant and missile productions health hazards may arise from contact with ammonia, aniline, MeOH,furfuryl ale, hydrazine, JP-4, hydrogen peroxide and red fuming nitric acid (Ref 2), as well as other propellant ingredients such as NG, epoxy comps, polyurethanes, Amm Perchlorate etc (Ref 5)... 

Hybrid Rocket Propellants. A special proplnt combination of unlike materials, particularly of unlike physical characteristics. Typical hybrid proplnt combinations are a solid fuel (or oxidizer) in combination with a liquid oxidizer (or fuel) in tjiat order. Sometimes a grain of solid fuel is encased in the combustion chamber of a rocket engine and burned in combination with liq oxygen. Similarly, a liq fuel may be injected into a combustion chamber in contact with a solid oxidizer. Another example is the use of concentrated hydrogen peroxide and a hydrocarbon fuel. In this case, the hydrogen peroxide is converted by decompn into a hot gas contg oxygen. The fuel is injected downstream of the first reaction, mixed with the hot oxidizer-rich gas, and burns (Ref 1)... 

Welland, W.H.M., Cianfanelli, S., Van der Heijden, A.E.D.M., and Leeming, W. (2006) Current backbone of HNF based propellants. Proc. 9th Inti Hydrogen Peroxide Propulsion Conf., Poitiers, France, Sept. 17-20, 2006 (ESA SP-635). 

Aliphatic hydrocarbons petrol, paraffin. In the U.S.A. several types of combustibles for liquid propellant jet aircraft are used. One of them, i.e. JP-4, is employed for rocket propulsion, with nitric acid as an oxidizing agent (it can also be used with hydrogen peroxide or liquid oxygen). The specification of JP-4, is as follows ... 

The use of hydrogen peroxide as a mono-propellant of the cathergol type is based on the following thermochemical data for hydrogen peroxide of 86 and 100% concentration (by weight) (Wood [24], Table 66). 

Liquid rocket propellants are subdivided into monopropellants and bipropellants. Monopropellants are liquids which burn in the absence of external oxygen. They have comparatively low energy and specific impulse and are used in small missiles which require low thrust. Hydrazine is currently the most widely used monopropellant however, hydrogen peroxide, ethylene oxide, isopropyl nitrate and nitromethane have all been considered or used as monopropellants. Information on the performance of some monopropellants is presented in Table 8.3. 

The most interesting feature of the decomposition flames is their analogy to flames of the solid monopropellants. In fact, many of these substances, which are ordinarily liquids, may support a flame directly from the liquid phase without auxiliary vaporization of the liquid. In this case, the flame supplies the necessary heat of vaporization or decomposition in exact analogy to the solid propellant flame.8 The principal usefulness of a decomposition flame is found in the simplicity of design and control of a rocket powered by such a flame, even though more powerful fuels are readily available. A recent example, which has been featured in the news, is the hydrogen peroxide attitude-control rocket used in the artificial earth satellites of the U.S.A. 

Thus the first storable criterion eliminates hydrazine, the second perchloryl flour-ide, and the third hydrogen peroxide so the best example as possible storable propellants are nitric acid, unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine (UDMH), hydrocarbon fuels, etc. 

Any compound or mixture of compounds capable of undergoing an exothermic reaction is a potential monopropellant. In this sense all solid propellants are monopropellants. The term monopropellant however generally is reserved for liquid propellants. The monopropellant may be a single compound such as hydrogen peroxide or propyl nitrate. For hydrogen peroxide, the exothermic reaction is in the form of a decomposition. The exothermic reaction associated with propyl nitrate is better characterized as a fuel-oxidizer reaction, the fuel and oxidizer in... 

Fig. 37.21. A 200-f (60-m) long flame shoots out from the Beal Aerospace second stage engine during a test firing March 4, 2000. The engine is supposed to produce 810,000 lb of vacuum thrust, using hydrogen peroxide and kerosene propellants. (Photo courtesy of Beal Aerospace.)...

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