Nasa Tests Environmentally-Friendly Rocket Fuel
A new, alternative rocket fuel may increase operational safety and reduce costs over current solid fuels, say researchers from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA).
Two years of collaboration between Stanford University and NASA’s Ames Research Center have led to the development of the non-toxic, easily handled fuel made from a substance similar to what is used in common candles. The new paraffin based fuel could someday be used in Space Shuttle booster rockets.
The byproducts of combustion of the new fuel are carbon dioxide and water. By contrast, conventional rocket fuel produces aluminum oxide and acidic gasses, such as hydrogen chloride.
“There is great cost in making, handling and transporting traditional solid rocket fuels, but the new paraffin based fuel is less expensive, non-toxic and non-hazardous,” said Greg Zilliac of Ames. “Because the fuel is very stable and environmentally friendly, a hybrid rocket could be fueled at the launch site rather than at the factory, thereby saving money.”
The main goal of the NASA test program is to determine if the promising results of earlier bench top experiments conducted at Stanford will scale up to the combustion chamber conditions required for space launch operational systems.
“The NASA combustion tests have been very promising and indicate the burn rate for the larger scale apparatus is as high as that achieved in the small scale Stanford tests,” Zilliac continued. “This new fuel could significantly impact the future of space transportation.”
The concept of a fast burning, low cost, paraffin based fuel was first conceived by Dr. Arif Karabeyoglu of Stanford, Dr. David Altman, president of Space Propulsion Group Inc., and Stanford University Professor Brian Cantwell. Karabeyoglu developed the theory in his doctoral thesis, which was supported in part by Stanford and NASA.
Cantwell said the new fuel could be used to create a hybrid rocket equivalent to the Space Shuttle’s solid rockets.
“Hybrid rockets, using the paraffin based fuel, can be throttled over a wide range, including shut down and restart,” Cantwell explained. “That’s one reason why they could be considered as possible replacements for the Shuttle’s current solid rocket boosters that cannot be shut off after they are lit. One design concept being considered is a new hybrid booster rocket that is able to fly back to the launch site for recharging.”
Provided by theEnvironmental News Service.
