Demonstration of Dual Mode Ionic Liquid Propulsion

This program will design, fabricate, and test a dual mode propulsion system in a non-flight-weight configuration using a novel energetic, low-toxicity ionic liquid for both high thrust (conventional catalyst-based monopropulsion system) and low thrust (electrospray) engines. Non-Stoichiometric HydroxyEthyl Hydrazinium Nitrate (NSHEHN), developed under Army and NASA SBIR programs, will be used for both engines. It is favored over hydrazine for monopropellant systems because of its very low vapor pressure which makes it much less toxic. The advantage over the Air Force-developed monopropellant, AF-M315E, is that it uses a conventional catalyst bed at 200ordm;C compared to an expensive specialized catalyst bed at over 500ordm;C. It is particularly applicable to electrospray propulsion because it is already composed of ions does not require energy to convert a non-ionic fluid to an ionic state. The two engines will be designed and tested separately and a breadboard system designed for use in Phase II.