Combustion Science and Technology, Vol.184, No.9, 1318-1329, 2012
KINETIC STUDY ON CATALYTIC COMBUSTION OF DMAZ OVER Ir/gamma-Al2O3
2-Dimethylaminoethylazide (DMAZ), as a liquid monopropellant, is a good replacement for hydrazine in space programs. Catalytic combustion of DMAZ over Irl gamma-Al2O3 leads to propulsion force in a satellite for orbit adjustment. Little information has been published for catalytic combustion of DMAZ. In this article, the catalyst was synthesized, characterized, and tested in a temperature range of 373-473 K. The results showed that a loading of about 34% of Ir on gamma-Al2O3 is suitable for this purpose. Furthermore, the combustion reaction was studied kinetically in a fixed-bed, continuous-flow micro reactor under the specified temperature range and 100-450 mL/min volume flow rates of DMAZ vapor. Accordingly, a rate model was suggested. The reaction kinetic was first-order with activation energy of 19.3 kJ/mol. There was good agreement between conversion data from the model and the experimental results.