Thermal Decomposer for Peroxide

The utilization of High Test Hydrogen Peroxide (HTP) as military propellant can be greatly simplified by replacing the classical catalyst bed with a novel thermal decomposer. A thermal peroxide decomposition system offers the potential to enhance the operability and system safety margin of peroxide systems. Fundamental knowledge of decomposition kinetics, including the effects of common stabilizers, is essential for the analytical design of such a decomposer. Validated HTP decomposition kinetics will also eliminate the costly, and potentially dangerous, cut-and-try design approach currently used for the design of HTP systems. The ultimate innovation is elimination of the catalyst bed in HTP devices including rocket engines and chemical lasers. This Phase II effort focuses on validation of the decomposition kinetics model developed during Phase I, and its application to design and demonstrate a prototype thermal decomposer.