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Computational And Experimental Studies Of Catalytic Decomposition Of H2o2 Monopropellant In Mems-Based Micropropulsion Systems, Stephen Widdis

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The next generation of miniaturized satellites (“nanosats”) feature dramatically reduced thrust and impulse requirements for purposes of spacecraft attitude control and maneuvering. E↵orts at the University of Vermont have concentrated on developing a MEMS-based chemical micropropulsion system based on a rocket grade hydrogen peroxide (HTP) monopropellant fuel. A key component in the micropropulsion system is the catalytic reactor whose role is to chemically decompose the monopropellant, thereby releasing the fuel’s chemical energy for thrust production. The present study is a joint computational and experimental design e↵ort at developing a MEMS-based micro-reactor for incorporation into a monopropellant micropropulsion system. Numerically, 0D …