I think the term "rocket powered" is more than a bit misleading.
I'm pretty sure hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) doesn't "burn". It decomposes to water and oxygen (2H2O2 = 2H2O + O2). The "pure steam" claim has to wrong too. It's steam with oxygen.
Highly concentrated H2O2 is dangerous stuff. The stuff you buy at the drug store is 3%. The didn't mention the concentration they are using.
Duane, I seem to recall hydrogen peroxide was used in rockets during World War II. You mix it with fuel and the Oxygen in it will cause combustion. The heat released turns the water into steam and as it expands it acts as a reaction mass. There are model rocket motors sold today that use nitrous oxide in a similar manner.
The nitrous motor that I have experience with uses the oxygen released by the heated N20 to burn the plastic fuel grain. The mass of the nitrogen is not useful for producing thrust.
I agree that calling it "rocket powered" is misleading. It sounds more like a gas generator.
Probably being a bit too nit-picky but what I was saying is that the mass of the nitrogen does not contribute to the thrust in the same way that the mass of the water in a H2O2/fuel engine does not improve the thrust. Or, to put it another way, oxygen alone would be a better oxidizer than oxygen released from some other compound when striving for the highest specific impulse.
However, since it has been a few years since I studied these things closely, I am open to correction.
Duane, I seem to recall hydrogen peroxide was used in rockets during World War II. You mix it with fuel and the Oxygen in it will cause combustion. The heat released turns the water into steam and as it expands it acts as a reaction mass. There are model rocket motors sold today that use nitrous oxide in a similar manner.
I agree, that hydrogen peroxide can be a rocket propellant. CO2, liquid nitrogen and compressed air can also be used as a rocket propellant.
Compressed air's ability to propel a rocket doesn't make a pneumatic robot arm "rocket powered" nor does using the steam from decomposing hydrogen peroxide qualify this device as "rocket powered."
W9GFO, yeah we're getting deep into the weeds. I was basing my thinking on the difference in performance I've seen in a compressed air and water rocket versus a compressed air only rocket.
Duane, you're right. To be truly rocket powered it would have to use attitude jets to control joint position. Something like that might work in space.
Hydrogen Peroxide was indeed among the propellants used in the V-2 rockets.
I did also expect something different when I saw the "powered by rockets" title, but I think they were just having fun with a little hyperbole. I'm good with it.
Comments
I'm pretty sure hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) doesn't "burn". It decomposes to water and oxygen (2H2O2 = 2H2O + O2). The "pure steam" claim has to wrong too. It's steam with oxygen.
Highly concentrated H2O2 is dangerous stuff. The stuff you buy at the drug store is 3%. The didn't mention the concentration they are using.
Duane
-Phil
I agree that calling it "rocket powered" is misleading. It sounds more like a gas generator.
However, since it has been a few years since I studied these things closely, I am open to correction.
I agree, that hydrogen peroxide can be a rocket propellant. CO2, liquid nitrogen and compressed air can also be used as a rocket propellant.
Compressed air's ability to propel a rocket doesn't make a pneumatic robot arm "rocket powered" nor does using the steam from decomposing hydrogen peroxide qualify this device as "rocket powered."
Duane
Duane, you're right. To be truly rocket powered it would have to use attitude jets to control joint position. Something like that might work in space.
http://www.engineerdir.com/images/press/34162bc64b69325708ddf394ad63325c.jpg
Would this be like micro turbines? Maybe?
I did also expect something different when I saw the "powered by rockets" title, but I think they were just having fun with a little hyperbole. I'm good with it.