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Chemical engineering study for hydroxylammonium nitrate monopropellant decomposition over monolith and grain metal-based catalysts

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Abstract

The influence of the catalyst support shapes on the performance of liquid monopropellant thrusters was investigated. In the present work, two supports: monolith honeycombs and alumina grains were tested and their relative performances were compared. Ir-monolith catalysts with total metallic contents of 30 wt% in mass were prepared by the wet impregnation method. The characterization of these materials, before and after their use for liquid monopropellant decomposition in a satellite thruster, was performed by measurement techniques of specific surface area, H2 chemisorption, ICP, SEM and TEM measurements. The catalytic decomposition tests display the best catalytic activity for the grain catalyst (Shell 405) with a complete decomposition of liquid monopropellant, due to a good contact between solid–liquid phases, and monolith catalyst with longer catalyst bed. Moreover, the monolith catalyst leads only to partial liquid monopropellant decomposition, due to injection model and preferential channels through the catalyst bed. The performance of the thruster when using monolith honeycomb and alumina grains as the catalyst bed was evaluated by measuring the product-gas temperatures and pressures at different points of the catalyst bed.

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Acknowledgments

All authors would like to thank Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for financial support of this work. Dr. Rachid Amrousse expresses gratitude to Dr. Toshiyuki Katsumi for thruster testing and Prof. Keiichi Hori for discussion of obtained results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo-Ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-5210, Japan

    Rachid Amrousse & Keiichi Hori

  2. Nagaoka University of Technology, 197 Miyazeki-machi, Nagaoka, 940-2088, Japan

    Toshiyuki Katsumi

  3. Conditions Extrêmes et Matériaux: Haute Température et Irradiation (CEMHTI), CNRS-Université d’Orléans, 45071, Orléans, France

    Ahmed Bachar

  4. Faculté des Sciences, Université Chouaib Doukkali, 24000, El Jadida, Morocco

    Rachid Brahmi & Mohamed Bensitel

Authors
  1. Rachid Amrousse
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  2. Toshiyuki Katsumi
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  3. Ahmed Bachar
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  4. Rachid Brahmi
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  5. Mohamed Bensitel
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  6. Keiichi Hori
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachid Amrousse.

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Amrousse, R., Katsumi, T., Bachar, A. et al. Chemical engineering study for hydroxylammonium nitrate monopropellant decomposition over monolith and grain metal-based catalysts. Reac Kinet Mech Cat 111, 71–88 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11144-013-0626-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11144-013-0626-6

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