Advanced Monopropellant Microchannel DACS

Future high maneuverability Divert Altitude and Control Systems (DACS) require improved performance and reduced environmental impacts, while maximizing kill vehicle divert capabilities and reducing weight within restricted geometries. Advanced “green” monopropellants promise significant improvements over current hydrazine propellants, because of lower toxicity, higher chemical stability, and increased performance. HAN based monopropellants promise increased interceptor performance and mission capabilities (greater acceleration, increased delta-V, reduced system mass). These characteristics make HAN based monopropellants ideal for: roll control modules, spacecrafts and interceptors. The proposed effort will focus on higher efficiency DACS development by improved catalytic combustion of high energy density monopropellants using microchannel based catalysts. An innovative electroforming technique in combination with carbon nanotube deposition will facilitate manufacturing of microcombustion devices with increased surface area to enable faster ignition.