High Performance, Clean, Non-Aluminized Solid Propellant

The elimination of HCl in solid propellant exhaust was realized with the development of high performance solution type solid propellants. These propellants utilize as oxidizer a liquid eutectic of hydroxylamine nitrate (HAN) and ammonium and hydrazinium nitrate. These propellants still, however, require aluminum fuel to achieve high performance. This proposal has identified a possible class of energetic polymers, the employment of which in solution type solid propellants has the potential of eliminating the aluminum without compromising high performance. This class of high energy polymers is based in alternating butynes and hydrazine nitrate groups. Calculations have shown that an optimum combination of one of these polymers with eutectic HAN oxidizers can achieve a theoretical specific impulse of 257.7 seconds. A polymer will be prepared by starting with 1,4-dichloro-2-butyne and hydrazine. Subsequently, the polymer is converted to the nitric acid salt. Samples of propellant will then be prepared for stability, hazard, burning rate, and calorimetry tests. These data will provide the basis for scaling up to Phase II small motor firings for performance measurements and Phase III full scale development.