Development of Solid Gas Generating Compositions to Ensure Non Explosiveness of Spent Orbital Stages of Liquid Rocket of Space Launch Vehicles

Abstract

The choice is discussed of solid gas generating compositions for venting by hot combustion products a fuel tank of the spent orbital stage of a space launch vehicle with a main liquid rocket engine. Non explosiveness is achieved via eliminating the<br />possibility of freezing the drainage system when products of gasification (vapours of a propellant component + the remains of a gas boost + the hot products of combustion of solid gas generating compositions) are discharged from the tank into surrounding space. There are imposed requirements, constraints, and criteria for selecting solid gas generating compositions. When considering tank with the residues of liquid oxygen belonging to orbital spent stage of the launch vehicle «Zenith» the ways are shown how to ensure explosion safety, which on the basis of proposed approaches by selecting solid gas generating compositions (SGC) which generate oxygen and<br />nitrogen. As a criterion of choice of SGC the total mass of the gasification system is adopted, which includes the SGC mass for gasification of liquid propellant residues, the mass of the gas generator and the mass of system to supply the combustion products of SGC into the tank. It is proposed use of residual heat in the condensed phase of the SGC combustion products to heat up the drainage system, which will increase the probability of a trouble-free operation of the drainage system.