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Mixed monoprop gas generator?
The inspiration for this idea comes from Armadillo's demonstration of
the feasibility of using a mixed monoprop. A mixture of hydrogen peroxide + fuel + buffer (water) yields performance comparable to high concentration peroxide alone and is relatively safe to handle. Armadillo's interest in this combination comes from the cost of high concentration peroxide and the difficulties in obtaining it. But I see another potential advantage of this combination when used in a gas generator. Since the fuel is premixed with the oxidizer it is easy to get an exact stoichiometric ratio and intimate mixing of the propellants. Given an adequate catalyst and combustion chamber design this should lead to very complete reaction. The resulting gas should be inert enough to be compatible with main propellants - both fuel and oxidizer. If the gas is used to heat a cryogenically stored pressurant by mixing any traces of fuel or oxidizer in the combustion products will be further diluted. Can this work? What advantages and disadvantages would it have compared to other gas generator types? Will this kind of gas generator be interesting for bipropellant pressure-fed or pistonless pump designs? The current mixture (peroxide+methanol+water) and catalyst (platinum) used by Armadillo requires preheating of the catalyst. This may be too much of a hassle for a simple and reliable gas generator. What modifications could make a mixed monoprop easier to use? Oren |
#2
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Mixed monoprop gas generator?
In article ,
Oren Tirosh wrote: ...Since the fuel is premixed with the oxidizer it is easy to get an exact stoichiometric ratio and intimate mixing of the propellants. Given an adequate catalyst and combustion chamber design this should lead to very complete reaction... Note, though, that a stoichiometric mixture ratio generally will not give the highest performance, for either rocket propulsion or turbine drive. (It gives maximum energy release per unit mass, but generally not best gas properties; maximum performance requires a compromise between the two.) The resulting gas should be inert enough to be compatible with main propellants - both fuel and oxidizer. If the gas is used to heat a cryogenically stored pressurant by mixing any traces of fuel or oxidizer in the combustion products will be further diluted. An alternative to a cryogenic diluent is just water. The earlier Arianes did that, both for turbine drive and for some of their pressurization. It's not as cold as a cryogen, but it has a huge heat capacity, actually better than a lot of cryogens. Mind you, needing another fluid reduces the benefits of a monopropellant. Can this work? What advantages and disadvantages would it have compared to other gas generator types? Workable in principle. Some disadvantages, notably the fact that a fair part of the gas will be water vapor, which can condense. And the average molecular weight will be fairly high, meaning that the pressurant mass will be high compared to helium. Whether it's a net win on mass, considering that and the extra complexity, is not obvious. The current mixture (peroxide+methanol+water) and catalyst (platinum) used by Armadillo requires preheating of the catalyst. This may be too much of a hassle for a simple and reliable gas generator. What modifications could make a mixed monoprop easier to use? A room-temperature catalyst would be nice. :-) -- MOST launched 1015 EDT 30 June, separated 1046, | Henry Spencer first ground-station pass 1651, all nominal! | |
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