Descrizione del progetto
Sistema bipropellente e propulsore verde per il trasporto spaziale
Negli ultimi anni, l’industria manifatturiera del trasporto spaziale ha registrato una crescita sostanziale, ponendo l’accento soprattutto sui materiali strutturali resistenti alle alte temperature, come i compositi a matrice ceramica. Tuttavia, la crescente attenzione per le soluzioni ecologiche ha portato a un aumento della domanda di opzioni sostenibili che non solo riducono le emissioni, ma incorporano anche fonti di energia rinnovabili. Il progetto GREENLAM, finanziato dall’UE, è dedicato allo sviluppo di un propulsore da 1 N a 100 N che utilizza propellenti verdi innovativi. Questo propulsore sarà costruito con un materiale composito termicamente stabile e utilizzerà un sistema bipropellente ecologico per lo stadio superiore. Gli obiettivi principali del progetto sono minimizzare l’impatto ambientale, ridurre il peso e diminuire i costi complessivi del ciclo di vita.
Obiettivo
"Engineering novel materials and their design optimization using simulation-based tools enable the development of lightweight and sturdy thrusters. In Europe, the development of high-temperature-resistant structural materials for space transportation has gained momentum over the years. This has led to the increased usage of ceramic matrix composite over conventional metal alloys in aerospace applications. Most of the reported works focus on manufacturing cost-effective and lightweight composites, whereas the thermally stable nature of composites has not been fully explored. The Green Charter and European Green Deal promote low-emission forms of transport and emphasize developing sustainable and renewable forms of energy. The adoption of green fuels offers advantages in terms of total life cycle cost reduction, contributing to cheaper space transportation, and environmental impact reduction. Contemporary research innovations have expanded the development of ""green propellants"" for spacecraft in diverse space applications on a global level, primarily for eco-innovation and safety considerations. Studies with ammonium dinitramide, hydrazinium nitroformate with methanol, and ethanol-water are still in the nascent phase whereas H2O2 is delivering state-of-the-art performance to replace conventional hydrazine. This project aims to explore the possibility of developing a 1-100N class thruster made of thermally stable composite (carbon-ceramic) and green bipropellant (H2O2-Kerosene) system for the upper stage to reduce the overall weight, life cycle cost, and environmental impacts without compromising on the performance parameters. This will be researched through a comprehensive blend of multi-physics-based numerical modeling and analysis to generate a highly reliable design and a scale-specific experimental characterization and test rig to yield propellant formulation data corresponding to the state-of-the-art. The proposal will produce high societal, scientific, and economic impacts."
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringastronautical engineeringspacecraft
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcomposites
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryalcohols
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuels
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinatore
2628 CN Delft
Paesi Bassi