III International Conference

CATALYTIC TECHNOLOGY OF UTILIZATION OF UNSYMMETRCALDIMETHYLHYDRAZINEPP-III-94Pestereva N.V., Eryomin V.N., Degtyar V.G., Ismagilov Z.R. 1 , Kerzhentsev M.A. 1State Rocket Center “Makeyev Design Bureau”, Miass, Russia1 Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Novosibirsk, RussiaE-mail: src@makeyev.ruThe aim of this work is to develop environmentally safe technology for utilization oftoxic liquid rocket fuel ‘heptyl’ - unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH). A pilotinstallation for UDMH combustion in catalytic fluidized catalyst bed with an off gastreatment system has been designed and fabricated. The testing of the installation proved highefficiency and environmental safety of the technology developedReduction and conversion of weapons productions in Russia have made extremely urgentthe problems of development and implementation of environmentally safe and efficientprocesses for disposal of rocket fuels. One of the most pressing problems is the developmentof the disposal process for extremely toxic rocket fuel ‘heptyl’ - unsymmetricaldimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and industrial wastes containing UDMH.Boreskov Institute of Catalysis and State Rocket Center “Makeyev Design Bureau” havedeveloped a technology of fluidized bed catalytic combustion of liquid rocket fuels.Initially, a study of oxidation of UDMH vapor over a number of solid catalysts has beencarried out and an optimum catalyst providing efficient UDMH oxidation and minimum NO xformation was chosen.A pilot plant for UDMH combustion in a fluidized catalyst bed with an off gas treatmentsystem was designed and fabricated at the State Rocket Center (Fig. 1). The process is carriedout in a fluidized bed of alumina supported Cu-Mg-Cr oxide catalyst at a temperature of600-700 °C. Experiments on UDMH catalytic combustion were performed. The mainproducts of UDMH catalytic combustion are CO 2 , water and nitrogen. Admixture of nitrogenoxides in the exhaust gas is removed over monolithic honeycomb catalysts by selectivecatalytic reduction with ammonia. Additionally, the gas is scrubbed with a water suspensionof a special catalyst for UDMH oxidation in aqueous solutions.The plant was tested under the following conditions: UDMH feed rate 1.8-2.4 l/h, air feedrate 28 m 3 /h, temperature of the catalyst in the main fluidized bed reactor 600-725 o C.645