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Aerospace
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Alternative Propellants for Space Propulsion
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Alternative Propellants for Space Propulsion

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Astronautics & Space Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 23537

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Joshua L. Rovey

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
Interests: space propulsion; plasmas; combustion; propellants; space exploration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Chemical space propulsion systems commonly use a monopropellant for generation of thrust. Hydrazine is the most commonly used monopropellant in these systems and has been in use for decades due to its unmatched performance. However, the high level of toxicity associated with hydrazine has led to exploration of ‘green’ monopropellants that are safer to handle and environmentally friendly, and may also have performance and reliability on par with hydrazine. Recent spacecrafts have used alternative monopropellant thrusters, including the ammonium dinitramide (ADN)-based LMP-103S monopropellant on the PRISMA spacecraft and the hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN)-based AF-M315E on the GPIM spacecraft.  Among the various chemicals explored, HAN is one promising alternative. HAN-fuel mixtures have been extensively studied, first in the context of liquid gun propellant research and later as a substitute for hydrazine in space propulsion application. Fuel components with HAN have included nitrate salts of aliphatic amines (TEAN and EAN), zwitterions (choline and glycine), and alcohols (methanol), with water also being a frequent additive. Other notable alternative monopropellants being investigated include, but are not limited to, hydrogen peroxide, ADN, and energetic ionic liquids. Recent studies have explored different fuel-oxidizer components, impurities, methods for improving thermal stability, and characterization of catalyzed vs. uncatalyzed decomposition reaction rates for alternative monopropellants. In addition to liquid propellants, solid green propellants are also the focus of much research, including development of electrically controlled solids and green hybrid rockets. The focus of this special issue is alternative propellants including cold/warm gas, monoprop, biprop, and solid propellants. Examples of specific alternative propellant topics include: formulation, reaction kinetics, decomposition, catalysis, stability, contaminants, toxicity, operation and performance within the context of their application for space propulsion.

Prof. Dr. Joshua L. Rovey
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • monopropellant
  • green
  • chemical propulsion
  • catalyst
  • kinetics
  • decomposition
  • stability
  • thruster
  • performance
  • operation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 386 KiB  
Article
Thermochemistry of Combustion in Polyvinyl Alcohol + Hydroxylammonium Nitrate
by James K. Baird and Robert A. Frederick, Jr.
Aerospace 2021, 8(5), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8050142 - 20 May 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3998
Abstract
A mixture of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and hydroxylammoniun nitrate (HAN) forms a gummy solid known as a plastisol, which is ionically conducting. When an electrostatic potential of 200 V DC is applied across the plastisol, it ignites. Combustion ceases upon removal of the [...] Read more.
A mixture of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and hydroxylammoniun nitrate (HAN) forms a gummy solid known as a plastisol, which is ionically conducting. When an electrostatic potential of 200 V DC is applied across the plastisol, it ignites. Combustion ceases upon removal of the applied voltage. The products of PVA + HAN combustion are known to include the molecular gases carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, and hydrogen. When the electric field within the plastisol is spatially uniform, combustion occurs preferentially at the anode. The fact that HAN is an ionic conductor suggests that the mechanism of combustion is electrolytic in origin. Consistent with the preference for combustion at the anode and the known gaseous products, we consider two reaction mechanisms. One involves atomic oxygen as the oxidizing agent at the anode and hydroxyl radical as the oxidizing agent at the cathode. The other involves ozone as the oxidizing agent at the anode and hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizing agent at the cathode. Each mechanism is applied to a scenario where the products are rich in the carbon oxides and to a second scenario where the products are poor in the carbon oxides. In the rich case, the heat of the overall reaction is −808.33 kJ per mole of HAN consumed and the electrical energy is converted to thermal energy with an efficiency of 4.2%. In the poor case, the corresponding figures are −567 kJ per mole of HAN and efficiency is 2.9%. The combustion reactions at the electrodes are uniformly exothermic with the exception of the reaction involving hydrogen peroxide at the cathode. When the products are poor in the carbon oxides, this reaction is actually endothermic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Propellants for Space Propulsion)
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Review

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21 pages, 1829 KiB  
Review
Review of State-of-the-Art Green Monopropellants: For Propulsion Systems Analysts and Designers
by Ahmed E. S. Nosseir, Angelo Cervone and Angelo Pasini
Aerospace 2021, 8(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8010020 - 15 Jan 2021
Cited by 85 | Viewed by 18067
Abstract
Current research trends have advanced the use of “green propellants” on a wide scale for spacecraft in various space missions; mainly for environmental sustainability and safety concerns. Small satellites, particularly micro and nanosatellites, evolved from passive planetary-orbiting to being able to perform active [...] Read more.
Current research trends have advanced the use of “green propellants” on a wide scale for spacecraft in various space missions; mainly for environmental sustainability and safety concerns. Small satellites, particularly micro and nanosatellites, evolved from passive planetary-orbiting to being able to perform active orbital operations that may require high-thrust impulsive capabilities. Thus, onboard primary and auxiliary propulsion systems capable of performing such orbital operations are required. Novelty in primary propulsion systems design calls for specific attention to miniaturization, which can be achieved, along the above-mentioned orbital transfer capabilities, by utilizing green monopropellants due to their relative high performance together with simplicity, and better storability when compared to gaseous and bi-propellants, especially for miniaturized systems. Owing to the ongoing rapid research activities in the green-propulsion field, it was necessary to extensively study and collect various data of green monopropellants properties and performance that would further assist analysts and designers in the research and development of liquid propulsion systems. This review traces the history and origins of green monopropellants and after intensive study of physicochemical properties of such propellants it was possible to classify green monopropellants to three main classes: Energetic Ionic Liquids (EILs), Liquid NOx Monopropellants, and Hydrogen Peroxide Aqueous Solutions (HPAS). Further, the tabulated data and performance comparisons will provide substantial assistance in using analysis tools—such as: Rocket Propulsion Analysis (RPA) and NASA CEA—for engineers and scientists dealing with chemical propulsion systems analysis and design. Some applications of green monopropellants were discussed through different propulsion systems configurations such as: multi-mode, dual mode, and combined chemical–electric propulsion. Although the in-space demonstrated EILs (i.e., AF-M315E and LMP-103S) are widely proposed and utilized in many space applications, the investigation transpired that NOx fuel blends possess the highest performance, while HPAS yield the lowest performance even compared to hydrazine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Propellants for Space Propulsion)
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