Micron-aluminum and hydrogen peroxide propellant combustion
Abstract
A desire for simple in situ propulsion spurred the development of nano-aluminum and water ice (ALICE) propellants. Hydrogen peroxide and micron-aluminum (PAL-ICE) mixtures iterate on the ALICE concept by delivering a flexible and potentially high performing propellant. This study examines the burning rate tailorability of liquid PALICE mixtures. Linear burning rates were collected using a windowed pressure vessel at 7 to 14 MPa. The investigation varied aluminum diameter from 3.00 to 35.83 μm, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 ) concentration from 30% to 90%, and oxidizer to fuel ratio (O/F) from 1 to 1.7. Statistical analysis determined the most influential variables affecting the burning rate. Results show a large variety of burning rates, ranging from 0.5 to 4.5 cm/s at 7 MPa with power law burning rate pressure exponents ranging from 0.33 to 1.07. The statistical analysis provided a multivariate linear model for the logarithm of the burning rate with a correlation coefficient of 0.95. This model suggests aluminum diameter as the most important factor affecting the burning rate overall, and H2O2 concentration as the most in uential variable on the burning rate pressure dependence.
Degree
M.S.A.A.
Advisors
Pourpoint, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Aerospace engineering
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