Safety and Stability of N-SEP

The University of South Florida Chemical Engineering Department performed a detailed safety and hazards analysis of N-SEPs in bulk storage and after casting in solid rocket engines. Among the conclusions drawn from this analysis is that although the structure of the N-SEP allows for inclusion of highly energetic materials, the N-SEPs are safe to store and use providing conventional industrial safety procedures are followed. The propellants themselves are essentially insensitive. The report further notes that, although closed form solutions are not possible for predictive modeling of kinetic performance properties (such as burn rates) of current propellants in use today, accurate predictive closed form solutions for kinetic properties such as burning rates of N-SEP propellants are possible due to the cellular nature and uniformity inherent in the N-SEP and N-SEP-based propellant grains. Closed form solutions would
be of inestimable value to the industry in allowing for pre-screening and mission tailored optimal design of solid propellant formulations and propellant grains on-demand and in real-time.