Nitrous oxide and oxygen mixtures (Nytrox) as oxidizers for rocket propulsion applications

Abstract

Most of the oxidizers available to be used in chemical propulsion applications are highly hazardous materials that are either toxic or explosive in nature. Among the short list of oxidizing agents, liquid oxygen (O-2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) stand out as the most practical propellants due to their wide availability, broad base of use, cost effectiveness, and relatively benign nature. A new class of oxidizers (Nytrox) that are composed of equilibrium or nonequilibrium mixtures of nitrous oxide and oxygen are formulated in order to maximize the benefits of the pure components while retaining their practical advantages. Note that in the mixture O-2 serves as the pressurizing agent, whereas N2O is the densifying component. The primary advantages of this new system over the pure oxidizers can be listed as 1) self-pressurization capability, 2) high density and density impulse, 3) noncryogenic operational temperatures, 4) higher 1,, performance compared with N2O, 4) improved safety, 5) efficient gas-phase combustion, and 6) easier development of stable and efficient motors compared with liquid oxygen due to the exothermic decomposition of the N2O molecule. Unlike the pure oxidizers, the mixture allows for two independent control variables (temperature and pressure), which can be fine tuned to optimize the system for a particular application.