Catalyst Screening for Ammonium Nitrate Oxidizer

The ammonium nitrate (AN) represents a cheap and chlorine-free alternative to ammonium perchlorate but it suffers from low reactivity. The literature is populated by a large number of papers regarding the catalysis of ammonium nitrate decomposition but data are quite inhomogeneous. In the frame of the GRAIL project an experimental campaign was conducted to scrutinize some environmentally-friendly burning rate catalysts, investigating their peculiar role in the decomposition of the oxidizing salt only. The present paper reports about the results obtained by characterizing mechanical mixes of AN with selected metal oxides under slow heating rate with DTA/TG technique.

[1]  T. Naya,et al.  Thermal Decomposition Behaviors and Burning Characteristics of AN/RDX-Based Composite Propellants Supplemented with MnO2 and Fe2O3 , 2015 .

[2]  K. Muralidharan,et al.  Effect of Copper Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, and Lithium Fluoride on the Thermal Behavior and Decomposition Kinetics of Ammonium Nitrate , 2014 .

[3]  Patricia Rotureau,et al.  Study of Incompatibilities of Ammonium Nitrate and Its Mechanism of Decomposition by Theoretical Approach , 2013 .

[4]  Y. Izato,et al.  Thermal characteristics of ammonium nitrate, carbon, and copper(II) oxide mixtures , 2013, Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry.

[5]  T. Naya,et al.  Burning Characteristics of Ammonium Nitrate‐based Composite Propellants Supplemented with MnO2 , 2013 .

[6]  S. Levi,et al.  Metallized solid rocket propellants based on AN/AP and PSAN/AP for access to space , 2009 .

[7]  Georg Steinhauser,et al.  "Green" pyrotechnics: a chemists' challenge. , 2008, Angewandte Chemie.

[8]  V. A. Babuk,et al.  Dual-Oxidizer Metallized Solid Propellants for Low-Cost Space Access , 2006 .

[9]  Dongke Zhang,et al.  A mechanistic study into the reactions of ammonium nitrate with pyrite , 2006 .

[10]  Jimmie C. Oxley,et al.  Ammonium nitrate: thermal stability and explosivity modifiers , 2002 .

[11]  T. Brill,et al.  Thermal Decomposition and Combustion of GAP/AN/Nitrate Ester Propellants , 2000 .

[12]  Jain,et al.  Ammonium nitrate: a promising rocket propellant oxidizer , 1999, Journal of hazardous materials.

[13]  H. Schubert,et al.  Characteristic Properties of AN/GAP-Propellants† , 1996 .

[14]  G. Gadiot,et al.  Thermal decomposition of phase-stabilised ammonium nitrate (PSAN), hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) based propellants. The effect of iron(III) oxide burning-rate catalyst☆ , 1995 .

[15]  M. Brewster,et al.  Ammonium nitrate-magnesium propellant combustion and heat transfer mechanisms , 1991 .

[16]  B. Wood,et al.  Acid Catalysis in the Thermal Decomposition of Ammonium Nitrate , 1955 .

[17]  R. Hainer,et al.  On the Thermal Decomposition of Ammonium Nitrate. Steady-state Reaction Temperatures and Reaction Rate , 1954 .