{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/134247"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/134247","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Investigation on Ammonium Perchlorate Based Electrically Controlled Propellants","abstract":"An experimental study exploring the ignition behavior of an electrically controlled gel monopropellant (ECGP) composed of an ionically conducting liquid polymer (polyethylene glycol) and ammonium perchlorate (AP) was conducted. Complexation of AP with PEG enabled ion transport when a voltage was applied resulting in ignition. Although the propellant was manufactures by solution casting, the final product contained no solvent as confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. Several electrode configurations were explored which balanced or limited either oxidation or reduction at the electrodes. Other than when reduction was limited, ignition always occurred at the anode. Limiting reduction resulted in an apparent increase in the bulk resistivity of the propellant which was attributed to enhanced bubble/gas formation at the cathode. The increase in apparent bulk resistivity resulted in enhanced joule heating and a shift in ignition mechanism from predominately electrochemical to thermal. This behavior is supported by analysis of the current data and infrared temperature measurements. The temperature measurements demonstrate that the highest temperatures occur where the processes are limited. The competition between thermally and electrolytically induced ignition and combustion characteristics of the gel polymer electrolyte will be presented in this thesis.","abstract_html":"An experimental study exploring the ignition behavior of an electrically controlled gel monopropellant (ECGP) composed of an ionically conducting liquid polymer (polyethylene glycol) and ammonium perchlorate (AP) was conducted. Complexation of AP with PEG enabled ion transport when a voltage was applied resulting in ignition. Although the propellant was manufactures by solution casting, the final product contained no solvent as confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. Several electrode configurations were explored which balanced or limited either oxidation or reduction at the electrodes. Other than when reduction was limited, ignition always occurred at the anode. Limiting reduction resulted in an apparent increase in the bulk resistivity of the propellant which was attributed to enhanced bubble/gas formation at the cathode. The increase in apparent bulk resistivity resulted in enhanced joule heating and a shift in ignition mechanism from predominately electrochemical to thermal. This behavior is supported by analysis of the current data and infrared temperature measurements. The temperature measurements demonstrate that the highest temperatures occur where the processes are limited. The competition between thermally and electrolytically induced ignition and combustion characteristics of the gel polymer electrolyte will be presented in this thesis.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Fiorenza, Nicholas Paul"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Aerospace Engineering","degree_department":"Aerospace and Ocean Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Young, Gregory"],"committee_members":["Schetz, Joseph A.","Meadows, Joseph"],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-05-27","date_published":"2025-05-27","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:42Z","subjects":["Electrically Controlled Combustion","Polymer Electrolytes","Rocket Propulsion"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:44024"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:44024","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/134247","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Young, Gregory"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Schetz, Joseph A.","Meadows, Joseph"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Aerospace and Ocean Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Fiorenza, Nicholas Paul"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-05-28T08:01:36Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-05-28T08:01:36Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-05-27"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Aerospace Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Electrically Controlled Combustion","Polymer Electrolytes","Rocket Propulsion"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:44024"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/134247"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["An experimental study exploring the ignition behavior of an electrically controlled gel monopropellant (ECGP) composed of an ionically conducting liquid polymer (polyethylene glycol) and ammonium perchlorate (AP) was conducted. Complexation of AP with PEG enabled ion transport when a voltage was applied resulting in ignition. Although the propellant was manufactures by solution casting, the final product contained no solvent as confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. Several electrode configurations were explored which balanced or limited either oxidation or reduction at the electrodes. Other than when reduction was limited, ignition always occurred at the anode. Limiting reduction resulted in an apparent increase in the bulk resistivity of the propellant which was attributed to enhanced bubble/gas formation at the cathode. The increase in apparent bulk resistivity resulted in enhanced joule heating and a shift in ignition mechanism from predominately electrochemical to thermal. This behavior is supported by analysis of the current data and infrared temperature measurements. The temperature measurements demonstrate that the highest temperatures occur where the processes are limited. The competition between thermally and electrolytically induced ignition and combustion characteristics of the gel polymer electrolyte will be presented in this thesis."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["There are two main classes of rockets: one that utilizes liquid propellants, and one that utilizes solid propellants. All liquid propellants are susceptible to leaks, and many traditional liquid propellants are both toxic and/or carcinogenic. As for solid propellants, their primary drawbacks are their inability to be throttled and their inability to be easily extinguished, or in other words, once they are lit there is little control. This research investigates an alternative approach in the development of an electrically controlled propellant where the decomposition mechanisms of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) based propellant is investigated. The polymer is incorporated as both a binder and a fuel source with ammonium perchlorate ionic salt as the primary oxidizer. Two different experimental configurations are studied with varying electrode geometries. Under an applied voltage, there are two competing and complementary decomposition mechanisms: thermal and electrochemical, which can be tailored by controlling the surface area of the electrodes to limit the electrochemistry occurring at one side."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Investigation on Ammonium Perchlorate Based Electrically Controlled Propellants"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Young, Gregory"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Schetz, Joseph A.","Meadows, Joseph"],"dc:contributor.department":["Aerospace and Ocean Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Fiorenza, Nicholas Paul"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-05-28T08:01:36Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-05-28T08:01:36Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-05-27"],"dc:description.abstract":["An experimental study exploring the ignition behavior of an electrically controlled gel monopropellant (ECGP) composed of an ionically conducting liquid polymer (polyethylene glycol) and ammonium perchlorate (AP) was conducted. Complexation of AP with PEG enabled ion transport when a voltage was applied resulting in ignition. Although the propellant was manufactures by solution casting, the final product contained no solvent as confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. Several electrode configurations were explored which balanced or limited either oxidation or reduction at the electrodes. Other than when reduction was limited, ignition always occurred at the anode. Limiting reduction resulted in an apparent increase in the bulk resistivity of the propellant which was attributed to enhanced bubble/gas formation at the cathode. The increase in apparent bulk resistivity resulted in enhanced joule heating and a shift in ignition mechanism from predominately electrochemical to thermal. This behavior is supported by analysis of the current data and infrared temperature measurements. The temperature measurements demonstrate that the highest temperatures occur where the processes are limited. The competition between thermally and electrolytically induced ignition and combustion characteristics of the gel polymer electrolyte will be presented in this thesis."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["There are two main classes of rockets: one that utilizes liquid propellants, and one that utilizes solid propellants. All liquid propellants are susceptible to leaks, and many traditional liquid propellants are both toxic and/or carcinogenic. As for solid propellants, their primary drawbacks are their inability to be throttled and their inability to be easily extinguished, or in other words, once they are lit there is little control. This research investigates an alternative approach in the development of an electrically controlled propellant where the decomposition mechanisms of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) based propellant is investigated. The polymer is incorporated as both a binder and a fuel source with ammonium perchlorate ionic salt as the primary oxidizer. Two different experimental configurations are studied with varying electrode geometries. Under an applied voltage, there are two competing and complementary decomposition mechanisms: thermal and electrochemical, which can be tailored by controlling the surface area of the electrodes to limit the electrochemistry occurring at one side."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:44024"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/134247"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Electrically Controlled Combustion","Polymer Electrolytes","Rocket Propulsion"],"dc:title":["Investigation on Ammonium Perchlorate Based Electrically Controlled Propellants"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Aerospace Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:42Z"}