1. Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide
Grzegorz Rarata
Paweł Surmacz, Wojciech Florczuk
Institute of Aviation
Al. Krakowska 110/114, Warsaw
POLAND

2. NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Outline
Perspectives for space propulsion systems – hydrazine vs. green propellants
Requirements for a small spacecraft and satellite propulsion system
Myths about hydrogen peroxide
Facts about hydrogen peroxide
Long-term storability and stability
Compatibility with materials
Detonability
Handling and toxicity
Our experience and practise
HTP (High Test Peroxide) technology – is it reasonable
Evaluation of risk for a small spacecraft and satellites
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

3. Perspectives for space propulsion systems
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Perspectives for space propulsion systems
Toxicity of hydrazine and its derivatives
Small and medium enterprises – cost of handling of propellants
Green propulsion
Highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide as an alternative for hydrazine
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

4. Small spacecraft propulsion system
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Small spacecraft propulsion system
Mono-propellant application
Physical and chemical properties of HTP
Storability temperature range
Lifetime of a spacecraft
Structural materials compatible with hydrogen peroxide
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

5. Hydrogen peroxide myths
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Hydrogen peroxide myths
Unstable
Susceptible to spontaneous, rapid decomposition
Easy to detonate
Causing spontaneous fires
Responsible for multiple spacecraft failures
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

6. Facts about hydrogen peroxide
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Facts about hydrogen peroxide
Long-term storability and stability
Active Oxygen Loss
Storage conditions
Material used for storage
Dependence of H2O2 concentration and purity on its stability and storability
Surface to volume ratio of the vessel
Experimental results of the long term storability
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

7. Facts about hydrogen peroxide
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Facts about hydrogen peroxide
Compatibility with materials
Classes of material compatibility
Surface treatment – chemical passivation
Purity of material
The pH of HTP solutions
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

8. Facts about hydrogen peroxide
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Facts about hydrogen peroxide
Detonability
Experimental approach and results
Much more detonable when mixed with organic fuels
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

9. Facts about hydrogen peroxide
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Facts about hydrogen peroxide
Handling and toxicity
Vapour pressure
Effects on living organisms
Contact with skin – mechanism
Personnel protection
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

10. Our experience and practise
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Our experience and practise
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

11. Our experience and practise
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Our experience and practise
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

12. Our experience and practise
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Our experience and practise 12
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

13. High Test Peroxide technology
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
High Test Peroxide technology
Current TRL of HTP propulsion systems
Risk concerning rationality of HTP technology development
Needs for green advanced space propulsion
Entities developing green propulsion
European projects on green propulsion
Innovative technologies concerning utilization of HTP
Pulsed Chemical Rocket Engine
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

14. Evaluation of risk for a small spacecraft
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Evaluation of risk for a small spacecraft
Threats identified
Possible result
Possible cause
Probability of
occurrence
Actions to
decrease the risk
Decrease of HTP concentration
Loss of thruster
performance
Incompatible
material, wrong
passivation
Low if testing is
sufficient
Appropriate testing
of long term
storability
Unexpected rapid decomposition of HTP
Burst, explosion,
complete failure
material
Very low
Use materials
compatible with HP
Leakage, corrosion of the supply line
Mechanical
failure of the
storage and
supply
material, error
during integration
process
Low
Use compatible
Valve failure
Thruster
Impurities in the propellant, mechanical failure, wrong material
Proper design and
testing, valve
redundancy
Catalyst failure
Reduced thruster
Mechanical crack,
loss of activity
due to poisoning
Long-life and multicycle appropriate
testing
Thruster structural failure
Reduced
performance or
of a thruster
Hard start,
overheat
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

15. NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
SUMMARY (1)
HP offers an excellent opportunity – as an environmentally-clean and non-cryogenic propellant/oxidizer
Is distinguished by reduced toxicity, lower storage and handling costs and simpler thruster/engine/device design
Has a significant heritage of safe, industrial use for paper manufacture, bleaching, foaming, synthesis, electronics or fumes neutralization
Highly concentrated HP (rocket grade, HTP) is the optimal propulsion medium for many technical applications
Thrusters for attitude control that run on HTP have been in successful use on some satellites
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

16. NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
SUMMARY (2)
The advantage of using safer propellant in the form of 98% HTP for small satellite applications will be the reduction of the costs by;
eliminating the need for self-contained atmospheric protective ensemble (SCAPE) suits needed for traditional toxic propellants
no need for extensive and prohibitive propellant safety precautions and isolation of the space vehicle from parallel activities during propellant loading operations
high fuel oxidizer ratio would minimize the need for greater amounts of fuel in the case of bipropellant
high density of HTP would be crucial for the reduction of the mass of whole satellite platforms, especially small ones
HTP is rather low cost compared to other satellite propellants
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide

17. Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide
NATO AVT-210
Risk and Reliability Assessment and Validation for Small Spacecraft
Potential Risk Concerning the Use of Hydrogen Peroxide