 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsSpace ScienceAstronomyAmateur AstronomySpace FlightSpace StationShuttleSpace HistorySpace PolicySETI SpaceKB.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Space Forum / Space Flight / July 2005Hydrogen Peroxide Question
Is it necessary for bipropellant rockets using a hydrogen peroxide oxidizer to breakdown the peroxide with a catalyst as it enters the combustion chamber, or can hydrogen peroxide just combust normally once it encounters fuel (and an initial ignition source)? Mike Miller > Is it necessary for bipropellant rockets using a hydrogen peroxide > oxidizer to breakdown the peroxide with a catalyst as it enters the > combustion chamber, or can hydrogen peroxide just combust normally once > it encounters fuel (and an initial ignition source)? It depends on the size and design of the engine apparently. For bigger engines, the answer is almost certainly no. For smaller ones, it's maybe. > Is it necessary for bipropellant rockets using a hydrogen peroxide > oxidizer to breakdown the peroxide with a catalyst as it enters the > combustion chamber, or can hydrogen peroxide just combust normally once > it encounters fuel (and an initial ignition source)? No, it is not necessary. There are some circumdsrtanaces where it can be useful to pre-decompose the peroxide, eg where the decomposed peroxide is used to turn a turbine, or for easier ignition, but in practical terms they are very limited. You can burn peroxide with alcohol or kero, or even with solid fuel in a hybrid. I don't much like peroxide as a rocket oxidiser or monoprop though, it is sneaky-dangerous, it's impossible to buy the right grades (HTP) and dangerous to make them, and it's harder to handle than people think.  SignaturePeter Fairbrother I have to mildy disagree with you. :) Peter Fairbrother <zenadsl6186@zen.co.uk> : > I don't much like peroxide as a rocket oxidiser or monoprop though, > it is sneaky-dangerous, No more than any other oxidizer out they. They all have diffirent bad points. Some are poisonous, some tend to freeze up equipment, others require(?) high pressure tanks. The dangers of peroxide are just diffirent ones. > it's impossible to buy the right grades (HTP) Now you hit the nail on the head, even lower grades 35%-70% are hard to buy over the counter. > dangerous to make them, Sort of. First, note major chemical production of peroxide is done by the ton lots, and I recall on only two major accidents with peroxide coming from said producers. One involved improper storage in a warehouse, and the other the shipping tanker truck was not proper cleaned before the truck was filled with peroxide. The major problem, is that a lot of the 'production-handling' methods for peroxide are trade secrets, and anyone trying to do it themselves basicly have to experiment from day one. I have had few problems with my experiments, and no major accidents. Even then, I now plan to build whole new systems to processing peroxide that are very diffirent from what I first started out with because of what I have learnt over the years. Never in my library research have I found any detailed information one how higher grades of peroxides are produced for example. Compare that to hydrocarbons, the information of distilling/cracking oil to useful products is a flood! > and it's harder to handle than people think. There I disagree again, it is not harder to handle, it is diffirent to handle. You need a new set of safety rules to handle peroxide. Note: that both ERPS and ArmadilloAerospace have had no major problems handling it for years. Don't be surprise if Armadillo starts having all sorts of problems with LOX because they are starting over and have to learn the handling rules all over again. Earl Colby Pottinger SignatureI make public email sent to me! Hydrogen Peroxide Rockets, OpenBeos, SerialTransfer 3.0, RAMDISK, BoatBuilding, DIY TabletPC. What happened to the time? http://webhome.idirect.com/~earlcp On my experience, if you were to remove the hydrogen from H2O2, what's left works fine. > On my experience, if you were to remove the hydrogen from H2O2, what's > left works fine. Unless the remainder is liquified. Then you have to handle it with kid gloves. LOX can cause spontaneous combustion of asphalt, grease, rubber, oil, cloth, tar, etc., or even explosive reactions set off by a simple mechanical shock (leading to advice like not walking on an asphalt surface after LOX has been spilled on it). Touchy stuff, LOX. You have to treat with respect, like hydrogen peroxide. Mike Miller >Touchy stuff, LOX. You have to treat with respect, like hydrogen >peroxide. In fact, some folks of my acquaintance who've actually *worked* with both describe peroxide as "room-temperature LOX". The single biggest practical difference between the two is simply that there are commercial LOX suppliers in every city, while rocket-grade peroxide is virtually impossible for a small operator to get. Signature"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend." | Henry Spencer -- George Herbert | henry@spsystems.net |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.