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Aerosol sprays
In aerosol spray cans, the propellant is simply a pressurized gas in equilibrium with its liquid (at its saturated vapour pressure). As some gas escapes to expel the payload, more liquid evaporates, maintaining an even pressure. (See aerosol spray propellant for more information.)
Solid propellant rockets and projectiles
In ballistics and pyrotechnics, a propellant is a generic name for chemicals used for propelling projectiles from guns and other firearms.
Propellants are nearly always chemically different from high explosives as used in shells and mines to produce a blasting effect. However, some explosive substances can be used both as propellants and as bursters, as for example gunpowder, and some of the ingredients of a propellant may be similar, though differently proportioned and combined, to those of an explosive.
A very typical propellant burns rapidly but controllably and non explosively, to produce thrust by gas pressure and thus accelerates a projectile or rocket. In this sense, common or well known propellants include, for firearms, artillery and solid propellant rockets:
- Gun propellants, such as:
- Gunpowder (black powder)
- Nitrocellulose-based powders
- Cordite
- Ballistite
- Smokeless powders
- Composite propellants made from a solid oxidizer such as ammonium perchlorate or ammonium nitrate, a rubber such as HTPB or PBAN, and usually a powdered metal fuel such as aluminum.
- Some amateur propellants use potassium nitrate, combined with sugar, epoxy, or other fuels / binder compounds.
- Potassium perchlorate has been used as an oxidizer, paired with asphalt, epoxy, and other binders.
Propellants that explode in operation are of little practical use currently, although there have been experiments with Pulse Detonation Engines.
Liquid propellant rockets
Technically, the word propellants is used for the chemicals combined in a rocket engine to make it move by reactive force. However, amongst the English-speaking lay public, used to having fuels propel vehicles on Earth, the word fuel is inappropriately used. In Germany, the word Treibstoff—literally "drive-stuff"—is used; in France, the word ergols is used; it has the same Greek roots as hypergolic, a term used in English for propellants which combine spontaneously and do not have to be set ablaze by auxiliary ignition system.
Most common are bipropellant combinations, which use two chemicals, a fuel and an oxidiser. There is the possibility of a tripropellant combination, which takes advantage of the ability of substances with smaller atoms to attain a greater exhaust velocity, and hence propulsive efficiency, at a given temperature.
Although not used in practice, the most developed tripropellant systems involves adding a third propellant tank containing liquid hydrogen to do this.
Common propellant combinations used for liquid propellant rockets include:
- RFNA and kerosene or RP-1
- RFNA and UDMH
- Dinitrogen tetroxide and UDMH, MMH and/or Hydrazine
- Liquid oxygen and kerosene or RP-1
- Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen
- Hydrogen Peroxide and alcohol or RP-1
- Chlorine pentafluoride & Hydrazine
Sources and references
(incomplete)
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
See also
