Influence of Propellant Composition on the Performance of a Gel Rocket Combustion Chamber

Abstract

Gel propellants offer the possibility to build throttleable and versatile propulsion systems with easy handling and improved operational safety. The combination of performance flexibility and storage characteristics merges the major advantages of liquid and solid propulsion systems. At the German Aerospace Center (DLR) basic research and technology development is performed on production, rheological properties, flow behavior, spray characteristics and combustion performance of gelled propellants. Recent efforts covered investigations on novel metallized and non-metallized propellant compositions. The publication will give a short overview on the experiments carried out and some major findings.