Passive Sensor for the Detection of Hydrazine Leaks in Missile Canisters

Hydrazine is a widely used missile propellant that is highly toxic to humans in low exposures. The maximum exposure limit is 10ppb over an 8 hour time period. To insure the readiness of BMDO missiles and the safety of personnel during missile transportand storage, it is desired to monitor the interior of missile storage canisters for hydrazine leakage. Commercially available hydrazine sensors are either to bulky, draw excessive continuous current or have inadequate operational life to meet expectedlife cycle times of BMDO missiles. The objective of this proposal is to develop a conductive polymer based, passive MEMs sensor that does not draw continuous power, lasts five years, is small in size, and has a hydrazine sensitivity of a few ppb.Hydrazine and its methyl derivatives are used extensively in rocket propulsion (NASA and DOD) and commercially in the electric power industry as an oxygen scavenging anticorrosive agent. Hydrazine is also used in the synthesis of drugs, fertilizers andpolymers. A detector with ppb detection levels would greatly improve the safety of workers from accidental hydrazine leaks.