Material Compatibility and Aging Testing for HAN-Based Monopropellants

Energetics used in a propulsion system may experience a shorter lifetime with increased hazards for storage and handling if in the presence of an incompatible material. An aging process is used to analyze which materials are compatible and which energetic formulations are most beneficial for applications that require a shelf life of several years. The lifetime of materials and formulations at various temperatures generates an aging curve that is used to determine lifetime in ambient conditions. By utilizing this process, materials compatible with SHAN5, the primary liquid oxidizer in GEM, are determined.