Performance Comparison between Extruded and Printed Ceramic Monoliths for Catalysts

Abstract

This paper presents the first results of monopropellant decomposition tests obtained from monolithic ceramic catalysts produced by means of additive layer manufacturing techniques and using ceramic precursors. The purpose is to compare the performance of printed monoliths with traditionally manufactured catalysts with respect to decomposition of highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide. Small holes with a pitch larger than 0 are generally difficult to manufacture. Holes with a diameter of 1.25 mm are difficult to manufacture when the pitch is larger than 2. ecomposition tests revealed that the manufacturing process does not influence the transient pressure performance but is noticeable in the transient temperature performance. However, the influence is only present during part of the transient phase. For optimum transient performance the surface area-to-volume ratio should be maximised.