The study of regression rate parameters on ABS fuel grain for hybrid micro thruster

CubeSat propulsion systems can be categorized based on the type of fuel used, including cold gas propulsion, electric propulsion and chemical propulsion, each possessing unique characteristics. Chemical propulsion generates thrust through chemical reactions, providing significantly higher thrust than other propulsion systems. This research focused on the development and optimization of chemical propulsion systems, with particular attention to hybrid propulsion systems. Hybrid propulsion combines the advantages of solid and liquid fuel systems, enabling start-stop operation while ensuring high safety and system simplicity. This research utilized high-test peroxide (HTP) as the oxidizer for hybrid propulsion due to its high reactivity, safety and ease of storage. In the section on solid fuel, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) was used as the solid fuel due to its high energy content, ease of fabrication and low cost. The objective of this research was to study parameters affecting the regression rate coefficients of solid fuel made from ABS and to investigate the port shape to enhance combustion efficiency. The experiment was set up to measure the regression rate of solid fuel by burning HTP as an oxidizer flow rate ranging from 5 to 25 mL/min. Circular port and star port were used in this study. Regression rate results were obtained by measuring fuel weight loss during the test. The results showed that the circular port exhibited a higher regression rate than the star port, which seemed to be attributed to more efficient mixing of the oxidizer and fuel within the circular port compared to the star port. The reaction constant (a) and reaction exponent (n) for the circular port were determined to be 0.00829 and 0.5125, respectively, while the star port exhibited lower values of 0.000237 and - 0.249, respectively. These findings indicated that ABS was a viable alternative as a solid fuel for hybrid propulsion systems and enhanced space exploration capabilities, particularly for small spacecrafts and CubeSats. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.