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.
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