Aluminum powders are commonly used in solid propellants to enhance the performance of space propulsion systems. During combustion, a fraction of the fuel metal particles, which emerge from the bulk, tends to merge into aggregates. These structures eventually leave the combustion surface in the shape of partially molten agglomerates which can reach the size of hundreds of microns. These condensed combustion products partake in nozzle expansion and hinder the delivered specific impulse of the rocket unit. The enhancement of original particle reactivity improves combustion quality and may reduce sensibly agglomerate size and relevant losses. More reactive aluminum fuel can be obtained by activation of micron-sized powders, without resorting to the use of nano-metals. One of the methods consists of a chemical treatment with a processing solution which alters the standard oxide layer at the surface of the particles. Such modifications grant lower ignition temperature and faster propellant burning rates but deplete a fraction of the active metal content, as a result of the chemical reaction. The present paper compares the features of three batches of aluminum particles which were treated with fluorine-based activating solutions of different concentrations. The batches were supplied in the frame of HISP FP7 European Project. The characterization focused on physical, chemical and thermal properties, looking at the reactivity of the samples and at the alterations introduced by the chemical processing. Finally, activated aluminum batches were tested in lab-scale propellants, monitoring the variation of ballistic properties with respect to a reference formulation.


    Zugriff

    Zugriff über TIB

    Verfügbarkeit in meiner Bibliothek prüfen

    Bestellung bei Subito €


    Exportieren, teilen und zitieren



    Titel :

    Activated aluminum powders for space propulsion


    Beteiligte:

    Erschienen in:

    Powder Technology ; 270 , PA ; 46-52


    Erscheinungsdatum :

    2015


    Format / Umfang :

    7 Seiten, 41 Quellen




    Medientyp :

    Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)


    Format :

    Print


    Sprache :

    Englisch




    Using Aluminum for Space Propulsion

    Ingenito, A. | Online Contents | 2004


    Using Aluminum for Space Propulsion

    Antonella Ingenito / Claudio Bruno | AIAA | 2004



    16.522 Space Propulsion, Spring 2004.
    Space Propulsion

    Martinez-Sanchez, Manuel | DSpace@MIT | 2004

    Freier Zugriff

    Highly-Porous Aluminum Powders

    Rosenband, V. / Yavor, Y. / Gany, A. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2010