Performance of a Monopropellant Thruster Prototype Using Advanced Hydrogen Peroxide Catalytic Beds

The present paper illustrates different firing tests carried out on advanced catalytic beds for hydrogen peroxide (HP) decomposition in a new monopropellant thruster prototype designed for easier adjustment and control of the main operational and propulsive parameters. The tests refer to the comparison between a Pt/alpha−Al2O3 catalyst (named FCLR- 87) and a similar commercially available space propulsion catalyst. Up to 2 kg of 87.5 % HP have been decomposed by a single sample of the FC-LR-87 catalyst. Both steady state and pulsed firings have been carried out in the same reactor configuration. A fresh sample of the FC-LR-87 catalyst has also been tested at a different bed load. Both the FC-LR-87 and the commercial catalysts showed equivalent propulsive performances, with a slight advantage in favor of the FC-LR-87 catalyst in terms of the c* and temperature efficiencies (up to 94 % and 93 %, respectively).