Development of Aqueous and Nonaqueous Titrimetric Methods for Liquid Propellants

The U.S. Army has made a commitment to develop liquid gun propellants as a potential replacement of solid propellants used in various gun systems. In order to monitor the propellants during storage, a study was conducted to develop analytical capabilities for this purpose. The storability of liquid propellants is required to determine whether there is any instability, its cause, and if necessary, its prevention. Titrimetry was selected to monitor two of the species present which were most illustrative of propellant conditions and critical to performance. In the course of this study, the merits of aqueous and nonaqueous techniques were discovered. As a result of this study, a capability is available to monitor some of the vital components and contaminants liquid propellants during storage. jes