Increasing interest in the development of nontoxic monopropellants for the replacement of hydrazine and its derivatives stems from the desire for safer and thus more cost-effective alternatives. Ionic liquid monopropellants based on the hydroxylammonium nitrate and ammonium dinitramide ionic oxidizer salts have received the majority of attention over the last two decades and present a promising alternative with higher performance and more attractive handling qualities than hydrazine. These monopropellants are employed using catalytic methods which lead to their decomposition and ignition. However, the development of compatible catalysts remains a limiting step in the technological readiness of these alternative monopropellants. Due to their ionic nature, the development of ionic liquid monopropellants has led to many investigations on the utilization of electrolysis to achieve combustion.
Separately, there has been a longtime interest in the use of gelled propellants for enhanced handling and operating safety. Atomization and combustion inefficiencies associated with gels have continued to limit their use. Monopropellants composed of gel polymer electrolytes present a unique opportunity which combines the safety features of gelled propellants as well as the ionic conductivity seen in ionic liquids, allowing them to decompose and ignite electrolytically. In this research, a family of electrically controlled monopropellants that utilize electrolysis in this fashion was developed from a gel polymer electrolyte. Their fundamental properties, including those pertaining to rheology, conductivity, thermal stability, and combustion, are explored as the composition of the oxidizer salt is varied. / Master of Science / Current advancements in rocket propulsion include interests in developing alternative green propellants for use in spacecraft propulsion systems with the hope of replacing current options which may be toxic to handle and present a serious safety hazard. Alternative propellants are generally thought of as not requiring special safety equipment or protocols in their handling, thereby reducing costs. Several promising options belonging to a category of propellants known as ionic liquids have made significant progress in development since the 1990s and have the potential to be used alongside a novel electrical combustion method known as electrolysis. Gelled propellants are another possible alternative which have been researched for their appealing safety qualities for some time.
While not researched for their use as rocket propellants until very recently, gel polymer electrolytes have received interest in this application due to their composition which includes a polymer, commonly used as rocket fuel, and an oxidizer salt. Due to their inherent electrical conductivity, their potential to use electrolysis in a similar manner to ionic liquids to achieve combustion is of interest. The research detailed in this thesis was completed to characterize fundamental material and combustion properties of a gel polymer electrolyte propellant as its oxidizer constituents are varied.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/114926 |
| Date | 04 May 2023 |
| Creators | Autry, Harrison Ryan |
| Contributors | Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, Young, Gregory, Massa, Luca, Seidel, Gary D. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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