Model for N 2 O monopropellant thruster operation

Abstract

The current paper presents a new model for the simulation of a prospective nitrous oxide (N₂O) monopropellant thruster operation. The specific impulse performance expected by the N₂O monopropellant is suitable for spacecraft station-keeping and small orbit manoeuvres. This thruster is presently at a lab-scale prototype firing stage of research and development. The N₂O monopropellant operation is simulated during the most important, start-up transient and steady-state, thruster modes. A good fit between experiment and simulation has been achieved during model validation. This demonstrates that the assumptions made in the model are feasible for accurate representation of the processes and phenomena occurring inside the N₂O monopropellant thruster during operation so that the model is applicable for practical design problem solution. Further development of the existing model is expected to provide more detailed understanding of the decomposition process along the thruster.

Keywords

nitrous oxide monopropellant thruster propulsion

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