Pdf burning rate measurement of knsu propellant obtained by. This makes enough propellant for a single 2long rocket motor. Doing molar mass calcs, i found the molar ratio to be 9 mol kno3 to 4 mol sucrose. Many hobby stores sell model rocketry supplies, but i think making your own rocket engine from scratch is a more meaningful and exciting experience. Sep, 2010 ive seen lots of videos of people launching small to large rockets, usually made of pvc, and they use potassium nitrate kno3 as the fuel. A good book that discussed this was the art of living dangerously. Potassium nitrate is one of several nitrogencontaining compounds collectively referred to as saltpeter or saltpetre. Does that create different products from the equation you came up with, or just much messier products. All instructions for creating rocket fuel from kno3 and sucrose call for the ingredients to be mixed in a ratio of 3. Potassium nitrate is one of several nitrogencontaining compounds collectively referred to as saltpeter or saltpetre major uses of potassium nitrate are in fertilizers, tree stump removal, rocket propellants and fireworks. The fuel in these rocket motors is powdered sugar or sucrose and the oxidizer is the potassium nitrate.
The result is a slurry of solid oxidizer particles suspended in liquid sucrose medium. What is the safest laboratory procedure to make solid rocket fuel, using potassium nitrate and sugar. Mark has seen firsthand how their joining forces has played a big part in taking their company to the next level. The best and the safest combination for a liquid rocket engine is kerosene and liquid oxygenrp1lox. Mix a small amount of potassium with the sugar and place it on a noncombustible surface. Proposal for the inclusion of kno3 sugar propellants in. Sorbitol and other sugar alcohols as the fuel with kno3. Sugar syrup can be made on a camp stove, so this method could be used in the field. But for backyard rocket scientists like markus bindhammer, theyre more suitable as an ingredient for rocket propellant. In the past, sucrose was most commonly used as fuel. Modern formulations most commonly use sorbitol for its ease of production. Months ago after i saw some youtube videos on rocketry i decided to just jump right in and try making a rcandy mixture, but i realize now that what i did was probably pretty dangerous. The potassium nitrate, which has a much higher melting point, remains as solid particles that partly dissolve in the sucrose. Although the sucrose based propellant is, in many ways, an excellent amateur propellant, there are a number of drawbacks when using sucrose as the fuelbinder, as described on the knsu web page.
Ask homework, exam, lab, and other undergraduatelevel questions at chemicalforums otherwise it will be deleted discussions on illicit drug synthesis, bomb making, and other illegal activities are not allowed and will lead to a ban. Sugar rockets are simple to make and do not require expensive tooling. The sucrose is another word for sugar, which is obtained from straight sugar cane and karo syrup. Like kn, a shortened designation su will often be used on rocketry web sites like those related to homemade rocket engines motors or homemade rocket fuel or propellant. Modern formulations most commonly use sorbitol for its. We would build our own motors using all kinds of fueltypes usually nh4clo4 or kno3 for oxidizers and testfire them in a diy thrustometer. When the water is boiled off, these initial percentages will end up with 65% kno3 17. Ive seen lots of videos of people launching small to large rockets, usually made of pvc, and they use potassium nitrate kno3 as the fuel. A sugar rocket is a simple home project that uses potassium nitrate kno3 and powdered sugar as fuel.
Candy propellants, using only the commonly and readilyavailable ingredients potassium nitrate saltpeter, kno3 and sugar sucrose are easy to make, inexpensive, and relatively safe. Kerosenerp1 is not poisonous like other propellants such as mmh or methane. I am relatively new to rocketmaking as a hobby and was wondering if there was any way of preparing rocket fuel for small miniature rockets without the use of potassium nitrate. Characteristics of potassium nitrate based solid rocket. The potassium nitrate kno3 sucrose c12h22o11 propellant, known as knsu, is traditionally used in rocket studies by amateur groups. Performance tests of knsu, whose composition is 65 wt% kno3. Do i have do worry about the mixture going off when compacting. With this in mind, several years ago early 1998 i began to search for an alternative to using sucrose. Kno3 is an oxidizer and the sugar sucrose acts as the fuel. I just put the sucrose and kno3 mixed together in the frying pan, and heated the mix until it was caramelized. Of course the rate of burning will depend on several factors as outlined by nakka probably chief of which will be grainsize of your mixed powders i assume your kno3 and sucrose.
Rocket propellant manufactured from old newspaper hackaday. Potassium nitrate is used as a meat preserver in making sausage, and. One of the most efficient nitratebased propellants is a mixture of potassium nitrate and sugar, commonly referred to as rocket candy. Sucrose, or table sugar, was the first sugar to be used. A nitrate is a strong oxidizing agent because it is a source of oxygen. In this project, well build on the work of rocket pioneer jack parsons see make volume, darkside rocketeer, for more about this. What is the best and safe rocket fuel and oxidizer for an. Homemade rocket fuel without kno3 applied chemistry. In a old pot you dont plan on using anymore mix 150g of kno3 with. To get get potassium nitrate kno3 go to lowes and buy green light stump remover or spectracide stump remover. In the 60s i saw a graph that purported to be the pressure burning rate relationship of kno3 sugar.
Sep 25, 2012 4 tbsp kno3, 4 tbsp sugar, 8 tbsp water and 1 tsp honey. It is one of the major constituents of gunpowder black powder. We are making a model rocket out of aluminum that is 1 inch wide and about a foot tall. Bates type grains without the need to melt propellant components. First you will need to obtain the ingredients for the rocket fuel listed here. Knsucrose richard nakkas experimental rocketry site. The first propellant, designated tf1 was drymixed kn sucrose moistened with water and pressed into the motor tube. In general, a 60 70% by weight oxidiser kno3 proportion is the ideal say 6g kno3 with 4g sucrose. Dextrose is a better choice as it has a little lower melting point. Gravitys rainbow by thomas pynchon, rocket boys by homer hickam, ignition an informal history of liquid rocket propellants b. Sep 10, 20 cook up a solidfuel rocket engine and let it fly.
The primary is polyvinyl acetate, basically just white wood glue, which also acts as the binder. Well, they explode the concept and expand your mind on just how important this ying and yang relationship has been proven to be with examples of a few companies that exemplify the concept. The fuel on these web sites will often be referred to as knsu rocket fuel or propellant. Of course the rate of burning will depend on several factors as outlined by nakka probably chief of which will be grainsize of your mixed powders i assume your kno3 and sucrose were in powder form. Sep 28, 2010 42 thoughts on homemade solid propellant rocket. Nonetheless, you may wish to recrystallize it if the quality of it is insufficient. I have made simple thirty second water rockets but this is not doing it anymore. A sugar rocket is a simple home project that uses potassium nitrate kno 3 and powdered sugar as fuel. Rocket candy, or rcandy, is a type of rocket propellant for model rockets made with sugar as a fuel, and containing an oxidizer. Before we begin, it is important to understand that this discovery has at its core a philosophical belief. Using the scale, measure 14 grams of potassium nitrate or saltpeter kno3 and 7 grams of sugar. Major uses of potassium nitrate are in fertilizers, tree stump removal, rocket propellants and fireworks.
Can fertilizer grade potassium nitrate be used for making. However, that doesnt stop me telling you how it can be done. It was supposedly fairly linear to 3000psi or more, hopefully. The fuel they use is relatively safe, simple and inexpensive to make. The only one you may find difficult is potassium nitrate. The correct lettering for potassium nitrate is kno3. The glue is combined with the potassium chlorate, then spread onto the newspaper sheets. I would like to start a project for the construction of rockets as a project for high school. How to make sugar rockets with potassium nitrate and sorbitol. You can also see sugarfueled rockets at highpower rocketry events where large models are launched thousands of feet into the sky. How to make a rocket using potassium nitrate, or kno3, as the. The rockets that i make are around 45 inches high and weigh around 100g. What is the safest laboratory procedure to make solid. My first attemt at a rocket motor posted by aerospacetiger on 7617 at 11.
Potassium nitrate sugar as substitute for black powder. Oh, and im only talking about making a 5 inch pvc rocket for now, nothing major just yet. Jun 03, 2017 the best and the safest combination for a liquid rocket engine is kerosene and liquid oxygenrp1lox. This is part of the reaction that occurs in july 4th sparklers.
Others have reported difficulty in getting granular sugar to melt adequately in a pan, i have had no such problem as i have made stock simple syrup in a 2. I like this kind of propellant especially because it is nontoxic. A good example of this is adding potassium nitrate to table sugar. May, 2017 we tried to make kno3 sugar rocket fuel and while i was making it about 1,5 kg 33 pounds caught on fire and almost burned my house down. The experimenter is exposed to hot propellant for a brief period while the kno3 is stirredin. The required temperature that the mixture must attain is just above the melting point of sucrose 186c or 367f.
The three most common types of propellants are compressed powder, usually black powder, sugar propellant most commonly sucrose, dextrose and most recently, sorbitol and composite propellant using ammonium nitrate or ammonium perchlorate as the oxidizer and a powdered metal usually aluminum or magnesium as the fuel. Proposal for the inclusion of kno3 sugar propellants in pdf. Old newspapers come in handy for many different uses around the house, from birdcage liners to shipping cushioning and even a little fish cooking. Its not very hard to do and there are many guides on how th. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Potassium nitrate is widely used as fertilizer and a food preservative, it is low cost and available in large quantities. In the 60s i saw a graph that purported to be the pressure burning rate relationship of kno3sugar. I know you have to use powdered sugar in there somewhere. We tried to make kno3 sugar rocket fuel and while i was making it about 1,5 kg 33 pounds caught on fire and almost burned my house down. You will find your biggest challenge and the greatest performance increase can. How to make a rocket using potassium nitrate, or kno3, as.
Hi guys sorry to ask this question, you probably get it a lot. Put on your safety glasses and leave them on for the rest of the project. This kind of propellant gives reasonably good performance in smallscale rocket motors, burns very fast, and is widely used by amateur experimenters worldwide. The one essential combination that will get you more of what you want from your business by wickman, gino, winters, mark c. Popular rockets books meet your next favorite book. Kerosene is not that difficult to handle than liquid hydrogen. For this rocket fuel, the old newspaper is actually the secondary fuel. What is a good rocket design and a good recipe for rocket fuel. Thus i dont have to worry a lot about handling it or dropping bits in the yard. I found that the standard formula for knsb rocket propellant is 65 parts potassium nitrate to 35 parts sorbitol.
The propellant can be divided into three groups of components. Rocket propellants for experimental rockets are mostly made with sucrose or sugar alcohol as a fuel and containing an oxidizer like potassium nitrate and additives like red iron oxide. A few years ago i experimented with several possible catalysts, in an attempt to obtain smoother and faster burnrates in kno3 erythritol propellent. Making your own model rocket fuel propellant grains at home out of sugar and potassium nitrate is illegal in the uk. The propellant is a mixture of a fuel and an oxidizer. While its easy to make a sugar rocket, its also very dangerous, so use caution throughout your project.
When you melt them together very cautiously, in a double boiler, kno3 and sugar makes a fairly lowspecificimpulse rocket fuel. Pdf burning rate measurement of knsu propellant obtained. The third book in gino wickmans business series and coauthored by mark winters, rocket fuel takes the concept of visionary and integrator up a notch. Tamir hasan potassium nitrate based rocket propulsion. Im just starting out in rocketetry as a hobby, but i just wanted a few things cleared up first. Kno3 how to make sugar rocket fuel goes wrong youtube. When you ignite the nitrate, the sugar burns quickly. By solid fuel i mean that the propellant in the rocket engines is in a solid state such as a powder. Well rocket candy was a well known rocket fuel in the united states when model rocketry was in its birth. How to make sugar rockets with potassium nitrate and. It is a source of nitrogen, from which it derives its name.
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