Tonka (fuel)

Tonka (also TONKA-250 and R-Stoff) is the name given to a German-designed rocket propellant; it has also been used by North Korea[1] and (under the name TG-02) by the Soviet Union.

Its composition is approximately 50% triethylamine and 50% xylidine, with nitric acid as a hypergolic oxidizer. Its use by amateurs is not advised, as the exact proportions of ingredients necessary for the mixture to work as desired, rather than fail catastrophically, is a function both of the ingredients' purity, and of their temperature during use.

Its name is a reference to the tonka bean;[2] as it was invented during the Second World War, it has no connection to the similarly named toys.

Triethylamine / xylidine mixtures composed the TX and TX2 fuels of the French SEPR rocket engines of the 1950s, used for auxiliary rocket power in the Mirage IIIC.[3] In aircraft use, TX fuels were later replaced by non-toxic kerosene jet fuels, simplifying fuelling of the aircraft. Little change was required to the engines but as this was no longer hypergolic with nitric acid, a small tank of TX was retained for ignition.

References

  1. ↑ "Analysis of North Korean missiles using Tonka fuel". Nuclear Threat Initiative.
  2. ↑ Clark, John D. (1972). Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants. Rutgers University Press. p. 14. ISBN 0-8135-0725-1.
  3. ↑ ROTHMUND, Christophe (2004). Reusable Man-rated Rocket Engines: The French Experience, 1944-1996. (PDF). 55th International Astronautical Congress. Vancouver, Canada. p. 2. IAC-04-IAA-6.15.3.02.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, December 08, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.