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Hydrogen peroxide rocket fuel

28.02.2022

Hydrogen peroxide is a less toxic alternative to hydrazine, a widely used aerospace fuel for low and medium thrust engines. Hydrazine is a carcinogen and requires additional equipment for its use. And this increases the price of both the fuel itself and the launch of missiles.

At the same time, hydrogen peroxide is non-toxic to humans and is widely used in everyday life, for example, for bleaching hair or treating wounds. But to produce fuel from hydrogen peroxide, a highly efficient catalyst is required. It is usually created using expensive precious metals such as silver or platinum.

University of Canterbury Chemical and Process Engineering PhD student Simon Reid has collaborated with Callaghan Innovation to develop a catalyst with a special ceramic layer that can be 3D printed. It increases the efficiency of processing concentrated hydrogen peroxide into rocket fuel.

The passage of liquid hydrogen peroxide over the catalyst bed speeds up the decomposition reaction. The reaction dissociates the molecule, turning it into water and oxygen. It is the decay of the molecule that produces a large amount of energy and heat. The heat vaporizes the water and as a result the hot gas passes through the nozzle and produces thrust.

The goal of Simon's research is to improve the design of the catalyst to increase the thrust generated by hydrogen peroxide. To achieve this, the graduate student used a special form, the gyroid, a three-dimensional repeating structure with minimal surface area, discovered by Alan Schoen in 1970.

Several companies are seriously considering using hydrogen peroxide. The scientist expects in the future to offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to hydrazine and make the aerospace industry a little safer.

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