Speaker
Description
In the research field of novel monopropellants, there is a strong emphasis on the toxicity of hydrazine and the required non-toxic nature of the potential replacements for this widely used monopropellant. Novel monopropellants are often praised for their handling procedures which are less strict, costly and wasteful compared to hydrazine. However, while the sustainability improvements in this part of the life cycle have been well-documented, there has been less attention with respect to the implications for other processes in the entire life cycle of the propulsion system. Furthermore, there has been little research on the manner in which the total environmental impact of a propulsion system changes due to the system-level design changes required to accommodate novel monopropellants.
This research will therefore systematically compare how the sustainability of a monopropellant propulsion system changes when hydrazine is replaced by novel monopropellants. For a case study of a 150 kg minisatellite in an Earth Observation constellation, five potential propulsion systems are designed at a conceptual level, to be used with respectively hydrazine, ASCENT, LMP-103S, SHP163 and 98% concentrated hydrogen peroxide. A life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) is performed for each of these designs, resulting in an in-depth comparison of the environmental, economic and social sustainability of each of the systems. The LCSA is performed using the Strathclyde Space Systems Database (SSSD) and will extend the database to include the relevant propulsion system components which are compatible with the specific monopropellants.
The findings of this research will allow for a better understanding of the overall impact of replacing hydrazine by each of the novel monopropellants considered. Furthermore, potential improvements in the production processes of the novel monopropellant systems may be identified, to inform a more sustainable life cycle in the future. Lastly, a detailed overview of the absolute environmental impact of propulsion systems using novel monopropellants will allow for a less ambiguous usage of the term “green” in this context.
