Reducing Dangerous Effects of Unsymmetrical Dimethyl Hydrazine as a Liquid Propellant by Addition of Hydroxyethylhydrazine, Part II, Performance with Several Oxidizers

Abstract

This work continues the study of suitable binary liquid mixtures of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and hydroxyethylhydrazine (HEH) to reduce the harmful effects of pure UDMH. The synthesized HEH was mixed with UDMH up to 40 wt% of HEH to study the performance and properties of binary liquid mixtures of UDMH/HEH. The existence of strong hydrogen bonding between HEH and UDMH provides low-volatile mixtures of these hydrazine derivatives. The addition of HEH significantly reduces the vapor pressure of UDMH, thus reducing the known UDMH health risk to inhalation exposure. Specific impulse was used to study performance of binary mixture UDMH/HEH with respect to pure UDMH. A binary mixture of UDMH/HEH reacts spontaneously in contact with nitrogen tetroxide, red fuming nitric acid (RFNA), and inhibited red fuming nitric acid (IRFNA).