The rapidly expanding space sector is at the forefront of innovation. New technologies are been continuously developed to allow more availability of space for a multitude of commercial or scientific goals. The same is especially true for the field of Space propulsion, where the focus is towards more compact and greener solutions, for launchers, satellites and landers. One of the most suitable candidates for chemical propulsion is the use of liquid oxygen in combination with liquid hydrogen, which, however, comes with many drawbacks connected primarily to the low energetic density of liquid hydrogen and the complexity of storing cryogenics. An innovative solution to this challenge comes with the use of Metal oxidation or metal combustion reaction. This implies the use of the reaction between air and metals or between water and metals to generate heat, power and hydrogen. This allows for much easier power generation since metal powders are simple to stock and have a much higher density than hydrogen. Therefore, the process is compact and completely renewable. The technology has undoubted potential for space applications too. The high energy density, the lack of cryogenics, the high availability and the re-usability make this technology suitable for power generation purposes and, in this case, for propulsive purposes. This thesis aims to explore the various applications of metal combustion, with a particular focus on space propulsion applications. The gathered literature will be then used to produce a conceptual design of a novel propulsion system which maximises the benefits of metal combustion.

This thesis presents a research project in the field of oxygen system fire safety relating to the heterogeneous burning of iron in normal gravity and reduced gravity. Fires involving metallic components in oxygen systems often occur, with devastating and costly results, motivating continued research to improve the safety of these devices through a better understanding of the burning phenomena. Metallic materials typically burn in the liquid phase, referred to as heterogeneous burning. A review of the literature indicates that there is a need to improve the overall understanding of heterogeneous burning and better understand the factors that influence metal flammability in normal gravity and reduced gravity. Melting rates for metals burning in reduced gravity have been shown to be higher than those observed under similar conditions in normal gravity, indicating that there is a need for further insight into heterogeneous burning, especially in regard to the rate-limiting mechanism. The objective of the current research is to determine the cause of the higher melting rates observed for metals burning in reduced gravity to (a) identify the rate-limiting mechanism during heterogeneous burning and thus contribute to an improved fundamental understanding of the system, and (b) contribute to improved oxygen system fire safety for both ground-based and space-based applications. In support of the work, a 2-s duration ground-based drop tower reduced-gravity facility was commissioned and a reduced-gravity metals combustion test system was designed, constructed, commissioned and utilised. These experimental systems were used to conduct tests involving burning 3.2-mm diameter cylindrical iron rods in high-pressure oxygen in normal gravity and reduced gravity. Experimental results demonstrate that at the onset of reduced gravity, the burning liquid droplet rapidly attains a spherical shape and engulfs the solid rod, and that this is associated with a rapid increase in the observed melting rate. This link between the geometry of the solid/liquid interface and melting rate during heterogeneous burning is of particular interest in the current research. Heat transfer analysis was performed and shows that a proportional relationship exists between the surface area of the solid/liquid interface and the observed melting rate. This is confirmed through detailed microanalysis of quenched samples that shows excellent agreement between the proportional change in interfacial surface area and the observed melting rate. Thus, it is concluded that the increased melting rates observed for metals burning in reduced gravity are due to altered interfacial geometry, which increases the contact area for heat transfer between the liquid and solid phases. This leads to the conclusion that heat transfer across the solid/liquid interface is the rate-limiting mechanism for melting and burning, limited by the interfacial surface area. This is a fundamental result that applies in normal gravity and reduced gravity and clarifies that oxygen availability, as postulated in the literature, is not rate limiting. It is also established that, except for geometric changes at the solid/liquid interface, the heterogeneous burning phenomenon is the same at each gravity level. A conceptual framework for understanding and discussing the many factors that influence heterogeneous burning is proposed, which is relevant to the study of burning metals and to oxygen system fire safety in both normal-gravity and reduced-gravity applications.