Lucas Beveridge
Abstract: The goal of this investigation was to determine how common types of paper would perform compared to pure Cellulose as fuels in a hybrid rocket engine. Although most types of paper are largely Cellulose, it was unclear if the additional components of paper (such as Lignin and fillers) would significantly impact the performance. Soft-wood (and by extension wood-pulp based paper), bleached paper (the type used for printing/copying/faxing), and Kraft paper (which is >95% Cellulose by mass) were all tested in a hybrid rocket engine with Nitrous Oxide (N2O) oxidizer. Thrust was measured, and the engine weighed before and after each test. The thrust curves were integrated to obtain the total impulse for each test and then divided by the change in weight to find an average specific impulse (Isp). High-speed video was also taken of each test to provide another point of comparison.
The data and video indicate that there is no significant difference in performance or burning characteristics between any of the paper/wood fuels. This would imply that fuel grains for hybrid rockets could be made from paper, and can be expected to perform as well as pure Cellulose. This not only simplifies chemical equilibrium analysis, but would also allow fuel grains to be made from a mixture of waste-paper.
Keywords: hybrid rocket, propellants, Cellulose, paper, wood, engine testing
Ref: JPyro, Issue 30, 2011, pp21-27
(J30_21)
© Journal of Pyrotechnics and CarnDu Ltd
