Great attention is currently paid to space debris mitigation with particular attention to the Low Earth Orbit’s region, being the most overfilled orbit. The present study consists of the design of a monopropellant thruster powered by green propellant (i.e. Hydrogen Peroxide) for medium (500 - 1000 kg) and large (> 1000 kg) platforms. The thruster is intended to be used for active debris removal through a controlled re-entry manoeuvre performed at the end of life. In addition, the system perfectly fits with the trend of replacing hydrazine with less hazardous green propellants. Three design options are investigated by changing the system architecture (blowdown or pressure regulated), the working pressure, and the thruster size. The selected concentration of H2O2 is 98% by weight. The selected baseline is a thruster operated in blowdown mode and optimized for a mean thrust level of 200 N within the inlet pressure range (14-5.5 bar).
Green Propellant Thruster Design for LEO Platforms Active Debris Removal
Dario ValentiniPrimo
;Angelo Pasini
Secondo
;Giovanni PacePenultimo
;
2018-01-01
Abstract
Great attention is currently paid to space debris mitigation with particular attention to the Low Earth Orbit’s region, being the most overfilled orbit. The present study consists of the design of a monopropellant thruster powered by green propellant (i.e. Hydrogen Peroxide) for medium (500 - 1000 kg) and large (> 1000 kg) platforms. The thruster is intended to be used for active debris removal through a controlled re-entry manoeuvre performed at the end of life. In addition, the system perfectly fits with the trend of replacing hydrazine with less hazardous green propellants. Three design options are investigated by changing the system architecture (blowdown or pressure regulated), the working pressure, and the thruster size. The selected concentration of H2O2 is 98% by weight. The selected baseline is a thruster operated in blowdown mode and optimized for a mean thrust level of 200 N within the inlet pressure range (14-5.5 bar).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
