Lightweight Advanced Post-Boost Vehicle Propulsion Feed System Development

An advanced development contract was conducted in support of the Air Force Ballistic Missile program to demonstrate a lightweight liquid-bipropellant feed system for application in an advanced post-boost propulsion system. The feed system is composed of composite-wrapped aluminum propellant storage tanks and a catalytically reacted warm-gas pressurization subsystem. Tank capability was demonstrated in workhorse expulsion characterization tests expulsion efficiency of 98.1 to 99.3 percent and fabrication and expulsion of a flight weight propulsion storage assembly PSA. The latter was accomplished with a representative pressurization subsystem consisting of a composite-wrapped aluminum pressurant tank with Tridyne pressurant helium, oxygen, and hydrogen, an electronically controlled pressure regulator, a catalytic reactor, and valves. The reactor supplied warm-gas pressurant to the PSAs at up to 1158 F. The delivered propellant pressure was controlled to 300 or - .4 psia during pulsed propellant flow by continuous modulation of the pressurant flow. The feed system was sized to deliver 1400 pounds of N2O4 and MMH with each PSA weighing 59 pounds, and the PS weighing 41 pounds. The resultant weight savings was 27 to 35 percent when compared to more conventional systems.