Raman monitoring and evaluation of the aging effects of rocket propellant stabilizers

Stabilizers are added to nitrate ester-based rocket motor propellants to form a stable product. The products added to stabilize the propellants react with NOx and are gradually exhausted over a period of time. In this paper, we demonstrate the efficacy of Raman spectroscopy technique for nondestructive, inexpensive, and rapid evaluation and monitoring of the depletion of rocket motor propellant stabilizers. Preliminary results show that concentrations as low as 0.1% of both MNA and 2-NDPA dissolved in DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide) can easily be detected at 1 second integration time using a 785 nm wavelength Raman system. In addition, MNA concentrations between 0.37% and 0.54% are detected in propellant samples containing energetic constituents using a 60 second integration time.