Lesson 6 Principles of Thermochemistry.ppt

Lesson 6: Principles of Thermochemistry Dr. Andrew Ketsdever Propellants Several Factors Must Be Addressed When Deciding on a Propellant Performance Chemical energy content, Achievable Isp Economics Availability, logistics of production and supply Physical Hazards Stability, corrosiveness, carcinogens Liquid Propellants Desirable Properties Low Freezing Point High Specific Gravity Good Stability High Specific Heat Low Vapor Pressure (better pumping) Easy Ignition (hypergolic?) Liquid Propellants Highest Potential Specific Impulse Fluorine Oxidizer Hydrogen Fuel with suspended Beryllium Isp=480 sec at Po = 1000 psia (sea level) Oxidizer highly corrosive (not storable) Beryllium suspension can not be maintained uniformly Liquid Propellants Oxidizers Liquid Oxygen Boils at 90K Heat of Vaporization 213 kJ/kg High attainable performance Does not burn spontaneously with hydrocarbons at ambient pressures and temperatures Noncorrosive and nontoxic Cryogenic temperature poses handling issues Liquid Propellants Liquid Fluorine Boils at 53.7K Highest values of performance (typically) High specific gravity Extremely toxic and corrosive Poisonous exhaust gases Low commercial consumption Expensive Liquid Propellants Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Requires high concentration (70-99%) Storage concerns Decomposition with certain metal catalysts Nitric Acid (HNO3) Highly corrosive Certain stainless steels and gold containers required Skin burns Liquid Propellants Nitrogen Tetroxide (N2O4) Most common storable oxidizer used in the US High density Relatively high freezing point Mildly corrosive Hypergolic with many fuels High vapor pressure Used with hydrazine (UDMH, MMH) propellants Liquid Propellants Fuels Hydrocarbon Fuels RP-1 (Kerosene-like) Easy to handle Cost effective Methane (CH4) Cryogenic (denser than liquid hydrogen) Liquid Propellants Liquid Hydrogen Boils at 20K Specific Gravity 0.07 Bulky fuel tanks, large volumes Increased drag Feed system must be cryogenic compatable Incr