Initial Results of BUAA Nitrous Oxide Micro-Thruster Research
- Paper number
IAC-07-C4.I.04
- Author
Prof. Guobiao Cai, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China
- Coauthor
Mr. Jie Fang, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China
- Coauthor
Mr. Wei Sun, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China
- Coauthor
Mr. Zhe Yang, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China
- Coauthor
Dr. Yu Cong, China
- Year
2007
- Abstract
This paper presents some initial results of the research at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA), P. R. China, promoting development of micro-thruster using nitrous oxide as monopropellant for application onboard small spacecraft.
Nitrous oxide has a great potential for providing micro propulsion. Due to its unique properties, nitrous oxide can be employed in cold-gas, monopropellant, bipropellant, and resistojet thrusters, thus covering all small satellite propulsion functions. In the first phase of our research, preliminary scheme and primary design parameters were described for a sub-Newton-thrust micro propulsion system based on the monopropellant catalytic decomposition of nitrous oxide. The numerical simulation was used to analyze the decomposition product thermodynamic properties, the flow field of inner nozzle for the thruster in vacuum, and its vacuum plume, respectively.
In the other hand, experiments of nitrous oxide catalytic decomposition and self-sustaining were conducted. Complete thermal dissociation of nitrous oxide was observed at catalyst preheat temperatures of about 573 K. Although the results are not conclusive because of the small initial test set, preliminary numbers suggest the feasibility of the proposed concept of nitrous oxide monopropellant micro-thruster.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-C4.I.04.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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