PulCheR-Pulsed Chemical Rocket with Green High Performance Propellants: Second Year Project Overview

PulCheR (Pulsed Chemical Rocket with Green High Performance Propellants) is a research project co-funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n°313271 and is at its second year. The project officially started as of January 1st, 2013, and is mainly aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of a pulsed propulsion system in which the propellants are fed in the combustion chamber at low pressure and the thrust is generated by means of high frequency pulses, reproducing the defence mechanism of a notable insect: the bombardier beetle. The feasibility of this concept is under study and many activities have been already performed. The PulCheR monopropellant thruster is already ready for being tested, whereas more difficulties concern the application of PulCheR to the bipropellant configuration, even if the selected propellants, HTP and propyne show very interesting performance. As an added value, the new propulsion concept investigates green propellants. The present paper aims at presenting the state of the art of the project after two years since the beginning