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(Top) 1 Current use 2 Propellant table 3 See also

Liquid rocket propellant

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The highest specific impulse chemical rockets use liquid propellants. This type of propellent has a long history going back to the first rockets and is still in use in for example the Space Shuttle and Ariane 5.

Current use

debashish labra

LOX and kerosene (RP-1). Used for the lower stages of most Russian and Chinese boosters, and the first stage of the U.S. Saturn V and Atlas boosters. Very similar to Robert Goddard's first rocket.

LOX and liquid hydrogen, used in the Space Shuttle, Energia, Ariane 5, Delta IV and the Centaur upper stage.

Nitrogen tetroxide (N₂O₄) and hydrazine (N₂H₄). Used in military, orbital and deep space rockets, because both liquids are storable for long periods at reasonable temperatures and pressures. Often used with hydrazine.

Propellant table

To approximate Isp at other chamber pressures
Absolute Pressure (atm) {psi}	Multiply by
6,895 kPa (68.05) {1000}	1.00
6,205 kPa (61.24) {900}	0.99
5,516 kPa (54.44) {800}	0.98
4,826 kPa (47.63) {700}	0.97
4,137 kPa (40.83) {600}	0.95
3,447 kPa (34.02) {500}	0.93
2,758 kPa (27.22) {400}	0.91
2,068 kPa (20.41) {300}	0.88

JANAF thermochemical data used throughout. Calculations performed by Rocketdyne, results appear in "Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engines", Huzel and Huang. Some of the units have been converted to metric, but pressures have not. These are best-possible specific impulse calculations.

Assumptions:

adiabatic combustion
isentropic expansion
one-dimensional expansion
shifting equilibrium

Definitions

r	Mixture ratio: mass oxidizer / mass fuel
V_e	Average exhaust velocity, m/s. The same measure as specific impulse in different units, numerically equal to specific impulse in N·s/kg.
C*	Characteristic velocity, m/s. Equal to chamber pressure multiplied by throat area, divided by mass flow rate. Used to check experimental rocket's combustion efficiency.
T_c	Chamber temperature, °C
d	Bulk density of fuel and oxidizer, g/cm³

		Optimum expansion from 68.05 atm to 1 atm					Optimum expansion from 68.05 atm to 0 atm (vacuum) (Area_nozzle = 40:1)
Oxidizer	Fuel	V_e	r	T_c	d	C*	V_e	r	T_c	d	C*
LOX	H₂	3816	4.13	2740	0.29	2416	4462	4.83	2978	0.32	2386
	H₂-Be 49/51	4498	0.87	2558	0.23	2833	5295	0.91	2589	0.24	2850
	CH₄	3034	3.21	3260	0.82	1857	3615	3.45	3290	0.83	1838
	C₂H₆	3006	2.89	3320	0.90	1840	3584	3.10	3351	0.91	1825
	C₂H₄	3053	2.38	3486	0.88	1875	3635	2.59	3521	0.89	1855
	RP-1	2941	2.58	3403	1.03	1799	3510	2.77	3428	1.03	1783
	N₂H₄	3065	0.92	3132	1.07	1892	3460	0.98	3146	1.07	1878
	B₅H₉	3124	2.12	3834	0.92	1895	3758	2.16	3863	0.92	1894
	B₂H₆	3351	1.96	3489	0.74	2041	4016	2.06	3563	0.75	2039
	CH₄/H₂ 92.6/7.4	3126	3.36	3245	0.71	1920	3719	3.63	3287	0.72	1897
GOX	GH₂	3997	3.29	2576	-	2550	4485	3.92	2862	-	2519
F₂	H₂	4036	7.94	3689	0.46	2556	4697	9.74	3985	0.52	2530
	H₂-Li 65.2/34.0	4256	0.96	1830	0.19	2680
	H₂-Li 60.7/39.3						5050	1.08	1974	0.21	2656
	CH₄	3414	4.53	3918	1.03	2068	4075	4.74	3933	1.04	2064
	C₂H₆	3335	3.68	3914	1.09	2019	3987	3.78	3923	1.10	2014
	MMH	3413	2.39	4074	1.24	2063	4071	2.47	4091	1.24	1987
	N₂H₄	3580	2.32	4461	1.31	2219	4215	2.37	4468	1.31	2122
	NH₃	3531	3.32	4337	1.12	2194	4143	3.35	4341	1.12	2193
	B₅H₉	3502	5.14	5050	1.23	2147	4191	5.58	5083	1.25	2140
OF₂	H₂	4014	5.92	3311	0.39	2542	4679	7.37	3587	0.44	2499
	CH₄	3485	4.94	4157	1.06	2160	4131	5.58	4207	1.09	2139
	C₂H₆	3511	3.87	4539	1.13	2176	4137	3.86	4538	1.13	2176
	RP-1	3424	3.87	4436	1.28	2132	4021	3.85	4432	1.28	2130
	MMH	3427	2.28	4075	1.24	2119	4067	2.58	4133	1.26	2106
	N₂H₄	3381	1.51	3769	1.26	2087	4008	1.65	3814	1.27	2081
	MMH/N₂H₄/H₂0 50.5/29.8/19.7	3286	1.75	3726	1.24	2025	3908	1.92	3769	1.25	2018
	B₂H₆	3653	3.95	4479	1.01	2244	4367	3.98	4486	1.02	2167
	B₅H₉	3539	4.16	4825	1.20	2163	4239	4.30	4844	1.21	2161
F₂/O₂ 30/70	H₂	3871	4.80	2954	0.32	2453	4520	5.70	3195	0.36	2417
F₂/O₂ 30/70	RP-1	3103	3.01	3665	1.09	1908	3697	3.30	3692	1.10	1889
F₂/O₂ 70/30	RP-1	3377	3.84	4361	1.20	2106	3955	3.84	4361	1.20	2104
F₂/O₂ 87.8/12.2	MMH	3525	2.82	4454	1.24	2191	4148	2.83	4453	1.23	2186
Oxidizer	Fuel	V_e	r	T_c	d	C*	V_e	r	T_c	d	C*
N₂F₄	CH₄	3127	6.44	3705	1.15	1917	3692	6.51	3707	1.15	1915
	C₂H₄	3035	3.67	3741	1.13	1844	3612	3.71	3743	1.14	1843
	MMH	3163	3.35	3819	1.32	1928	3730	3.39	3823	1.32	1926
	N₂H₄	3283	3.22	4214	1.38	2059	3827	3.25	4216	1.38	2058
	NH₃	3204	4.58	4062	1.22	2020	3723	4.58	4062	1.22	2021
	B₅H₉	3259	7.76	4791	1.34	1997	3898	8.31	4803	1.35	1992
ClF₅	MMH	2962	2.82	3577	1.40	1837	3488	2.83	3579	1.40	1837
	N₂H₄	3069	2.66	3894	1.47	1935	3580	2.71	3905	1.47	1934
	MMH/N₂H₄ 86/14	2971	2.78	3575	1.41	1844	3498	2.81	3579	1.41	1844
	MMH/N₂H₄/N₂H₅NO₃ 55/26/19	2989	2.46	3717	1.46	1864	3500	2.49	3722	1.46	1863
ClF₃	MMH/N₂H₄/N₂H₅NO₃ 55/26/19	2789	2.97	3407	1.42	1739	3274	3.01	3413	1.42	1739
ClF₃	N₂H₄	2885	2.81	3650	1.49	1824	3356	2.89	3666	1.50	1822
N₂O₄	MMH	2827	2.17	3122	1.19	1745	3347	2.37	3125	1.20	1724
	MMH/Be 76.6/29.4	3106	0.99	3193	1.17	1858	3720	1.10	3451	1.24	1849
	MMH/Al 63/27	2891	0.85	3294	1.27	1785
	MMH/Al 58/42						3460	0.87	3450	1.31	1771
	N₂H₄	2862	1.36	2992	1.21	1781	3369	1.42	2993	1.22	1770
	N₂H₄/UDMH 50/50	2831	1.98	3095	1.12	1747	3349	2.15	3096	1.20	1731
	N₂H₄/Be 80/20	3209	0.51	3038	1.20	1918
	N₂H₄/Be 76.6/23.4						3849	0.60	3230	1.22	1913
	B₅H₉	2927	3.18	3678	1.11	1782	3513	3.26	3706	1.11	1781
NO/N₂O₄ 25/75	MMH	2839	2.28	3153	1.17	1753	3360	2.50	3158	1.18	1732
NO/N₂O₄ 25/75	N₂H₄/Be 76.6/23.4	2872	1.43	3023	1.19	1787	3381	1.51	3026	1.20	1775
IRFNA IIIa	UDMH/DETA 60/40	2638	3.26	2848	1.30	1627	3123	3.41	2839	1.31	1617
	MMH	2690	2.59	2849	1.27	1665	3178	2.71	2841	1.28	1655
	UDMH	2668	3.13	2874	1.26	1648	3157	3.31	2864	1.27	1634
IRFNA IV HDA	UDMH/DETA 60/40	2689	3.06	2903	1.32	1656	3187	3.25	2951	1.33	1641
	MMH	2742	2.43	2953	1.29	1696	3242	2.58	2947	1.31	1680
	UDMH	2719	2.95	2983	1.28	1676	3220	3.12	2977	1.29	1662
H₂O₂	MMH	2790	3.46	2720	1.24	1726	3301	3.69	2707	1.24	1714
	N₂H₄	2810	2.05	2651	1.24	1751	3308	2.12	2645	1.25	1744
	N₂H₄/Be 74.5/25.5	3289	0.48	2915	1.21	1943	3954	0.57	3098	1.24	1940
	B₅H₉	3016	2.20	2667	1.02	1828	3642	2.09	2597	1.01	1817
N₂H₄	B₂H₆	3342	1.16	2231	0.63	2080	3953	1.16	2231	0.63	2080
N₂H₄	B₅H₉	3204	1.27	2441	0.80	1960	3819	1.27	2441	0.80	1960
Oxidizer	Fuel	V_e	r	T_c	d	C*	V_e	r	T_c	d	C*

Definitions of some of the mixtures:

IRFNA IIIa: 83.4% HNO₃, 14% NO₂, 2% H₂O, 0.6% HF
IRFNA IV HDA: 54.3% HNO₃, 44% NO₂, 1% H₂O, 0.7% HF
RP-1: see MIL-P-25576C, basically kerosene (approximately C₁₀H₁₈)
MMH: CH₃NHNH₂