• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.21-35
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• 2017

Hydrogen peroxide is being considered as a monopropellant in micropropulsion systems for the next generation of miniaturized satellites ('nanosats') due to its high energy density, modest specific impulse and green characteristics. Efforts at the University of Vermont have focused on the development of a MEMS-based microthruster that uses a novel slug flow monopropellant injection scheme to generate thrust and impulse-bits commensurate with the intended micropropulsion application. The present study is a computational effort to investigate the initial decomposition of the monopropellant as it enters the catalytic chamber, and to compare the impact of the monopropellant injection scheme on decomposition performance. Two-dimensional numerical studies of the monopropellant in microchannel geometries have been developed and used to characterize the performance of the monopropellant before vaporization occurs. The results of these studies show that monopropellant in the lamellar flow regime, which lacks a non-diffusive mixing mechanism, does not decompose at a rate that is suitable for the microthruster dimensions. In contrast, monopropellant in the slug flow regime decomposes 57% faster than lamellar flow for a given length, indicating that the monopropellant injection scheme has potential benefits for the performance of the microthruster.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2012.11a
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• pp.295-296
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• 2012

In Korea, study of monopropellant thruster have been started from 1990s by KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute). 5N hydrazine thruster that is a first Koreanized hydrazine thruster, have been used as flight model for several satellite. In parallel, in order to retain core technology for monopropellant thruster, catalyst and test facility development have been carried out and successfully completed. On the basis of these technology, KARI is performing development of 1N/200N hydrazine thruster and basic research of green propellant thruster.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.137-139
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• 2004

The monopropellant hydrazine thrusters are widely used for the satellite on-board propulsion system fulfilling various missions in space. They have outstanding features caused by the nearly unlimited restart capability and the very high credibility. The sole monopropellant thruster used at precent in nation is MRE-1 that is a standard component of NASA. It can produce 4.45 N of nominal thrust. Due to the glowing complexity with a satellite mission, the needs for thrusters of the diverse performance are being increased. The numerical simulation could give useful information to develop a new type thruster instead of the experiments performed previously. Therefore it is critical to make a reliable computer code to prepare design change of a thruster. In this paper, the performance analysis and validation of the satellite monopropellant hydrazine thruster currently used is accomplished as the preliminary study to serve valuable data for future design change.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.739-745
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• 2017

Research of ADN-based monopropellant thruster is progressed by developed countries in Europe to replace toxic hydrazine, and ADN-based monopropellant thruster system is the only system that was proved in space environment. In this research, ADN-based propellant and catalyst was fabricated to develop ADN-based monopropellant thruster, and catalytic combustion performance with fabricated propellant and catalyst were evaluated with DSC-TG analysis. Catalytic combustion of propellant and catalyst was determined with firing test using 5 N scale liquid monopropellant thruster.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.196-203
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• 2020

In this study, a Cu/hexaaluminate catalyst was prepared by a co-precipitation method, and then a binder was added to form a pellet. A catalyst in which Ni and Ru promoters were added to a Cu/hexaaluminate pellet catalyst was prepared. This study focused on examining the effect of the addition of Ni and Ru promoters on the properties of Cu/hexaaluminate catalysts and the decomposition reaction of ADN-based liquid monopropellants. Cu/hexaaluminate catalysts had few micropores and well-developed mesopores. When Ru was added as a promoter to the Cu/hexaaluminate pellet catalyst, the pore volume and pore size increased significantly. In the thermal decomposition reaction of ADN-based liquid monopropellant, the decomposition onset temperature was 170.2 ℃. Meanwhile, the decomposition onset temperature was significantly reduced to 93.5 ℃ when the Cu/hexaaluminate pellet catalyst was employed. When 1% or 3% of Ru were added as a promoter, the decomposition onset temperatures of ADN-based liquid monopropellant were lowered to 91.0 ℃ and 83.3 ℃, respectively. This means that the Ru promoter is effective in lowering the decomposition onset temperature of the ADN-based liquid monopropellant because the Ru metal has excellent activity in the decomposition reaction of ADN-based liquid monopropellant, simultaneously contributing to the increase of the pore volume and pore size. After the thermal treatment at 1,200 ℃ and decomposition of ADN-based liquid monopropellant were repeatedly performed, it was confirmed that the addition of Ru could enhance the heat resistance of the Cu/hexaaluminate pellet catalyst.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.92-98
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• 2006

An 1 lbf of NASA standard monopropellant thruster, MRE-1, is used for KOMPSAT (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite) which is launched in 2006 and provides reliable and cost-effective means for attitude and maneuvering control system. The monopropellant thruster obtains required thrust by thermal decomposition process of propellant through catalyst bed. During firing, the decomposition plays a role of a heat source that may occur an excessive radiation heat transfer to peripheral structures and electronics in relatively low temperature condition.Therefore, the radiation heat shield is needed to prevent the critical radiative heat exchange between thruster and satellite during firing. This paper summarizes an overall development process of radiation heat shield from the design engineering up to the manufacturing.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.7-14
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• 2011

Various sizes of hydrazine monopropellant thruster have been used on satellite and space launcher vehicle. The test and handling procedure of hydrazine monopropellant thruster are usually difficult because of the toxicity of hydrazine and its decomposition product gases. Therefore, the numerical analysis can help understand the effects of various design parameters and can reduce the time as well as expenses. In this study, the numerical analysis is performed by modelling the catalyst bed as one dimensional porous medium. Thereby, resulting physical phenomena are examined by considering the variation of catalyst bed characteristics incurred by catalyst granule failure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.406-408
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• 2017

Ammonium dinitramide (ADN) Low toxicity monopropellant based 1N class thruster and test equipment were developed. Compared with the hydrazine which used in existing satellite thruster, ADN is easy to handle and has excellent physical characteristics such as density and specific impulse. Due to these characteristics, ADN is attracting attention as an eco-friendly propellant. In this paper, 1N class thruster and thrust measurement system was designed for performance testing of ADN monopropellant. The composition of the propellant for the design and experiment was set at 11.2: 25.4: 63.4 for each of Methanol: $H_2O$: ADN.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.412-415
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• 2017

In this study, the decomposition performance of ammonia dinitramide (ADN) based liquid monopropellant was evaluated by using metal supported alumina bead catalyst. Alumina bead was calcined at $1200^{\circ}C$, and Pt and Cu were impregnated on alumina bead by excess water impregnation using a rotary evaporator. The decomposition temperature ($T_{dec}$) of ADN-based liquid monopropellant was measured in a home-made batch reactor. The decomposition temperature of Cu/$Al_2O_3$ catalyst was lower than that of Pt/$Al_2O_3$ catalyst, and $T_{dec}$ was about $130^{\circ}C$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2011.04a
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• pp.175-178
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• 2011

A performance characteristics and application status of liquid-monopropellants used for 3-axis control thrusters are surveyed, in this paper. Hydrogen peroxide was widely used as monopropellant until mid-1960s, but it is rapidly replaced with hydrazine which has better performance of specific impulse, storability, and so on. Hydrazine is mostly employed as a liquid-monopropellant of satellite, interplanetary spacecraft, and space launch vehicle owing to its moderate performance features.