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Monolithic catalytic ignitersCatalytic igniters offer the potential for excellent reliability and simplicity for use with the diergolic bipropellant oxygen/hydrogen as well as with the monopropellant hydrazine. State-of-the-art catalyst beds - noble metal/granular pellet carriers - currently used in hydrazine engines are limited by carrier stability, which limits the hot-fire temperature, and by poor thermal response due to the large thermal mass. Moreover, questions remain with regard to longevity and reliability of these catalysts. In this work, Ultramet investigated the feasibility of fabricating monolithic catalyst beds that overcome the limitations of current catalytic igniters via a combination of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) iridium coatings and chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) refractory ceramic foams. It was found that under all flow conditions and O2:H2 mass ratios tested, a high surface area monolithic bed outperformed a Shell 405 bed. Additionally, it was found that monolithic catalytic igniters, specifically porous ceramic foams fabricated by CVD/CVI processing, can be fabricated whose catalytic performance is better than Shell 405 and with significantly lower flow restriction, from materials that can operate at 2000 C or higher.
Document ID
19930065777
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
La Ferla, R.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Tuffias, R. H.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Jang, Q.
(Ultramet Pacoima, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
June 1, 1993
Subject Category
Inorganic And Physical Chemistry
Report/Patent Number
AIAA PAPER 93-1905
Meeting Information
Meeting: AIAA, SAE, ASME, and ASEE, Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit
Location: Monterey, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: June 28, 1993
End Date: June 30, 1993
Sponsors: SAE, AIAA, ASME, ASEE
Accession Number
93A49774
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS9-18698
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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