Abstract DYNAMIC ANALYSIS AND EXPERIMENTAL TESTING OF A NOVEL MONOPROPELLANT DRIVEN FREE PISTON HYDRAULIC PUMP

The lack of compact, efficient, and lightweight power sources currently prevents the more widespread use of mobile robotic devices capable of autonomous operation for periods beyond a few minutes. While technology for information processing, communication, and control systems has accelerated, similar breakthroughs for power sources have not kept pace. This report presents a novel free piston hydraulic pump (FPHP) to supply hydraulic power to mobile robotic systems. The basic design incorporates several innovative features. High concentration monopropellant fuel (e.g. hydrogen peroxide) decomposes into high temperature gases when exposed to a solid catalyst bed. The energy released by the reaction can be harnessed in a novel engine/pump that produces high-pressure hydraulic flow to power actuators. Since the reaction does not require an oxidizer, fuel/oxidizer mixing is eliminated. This allows the design of simple, lightweight systems with increased power and energy density, and operation in oxygen free environments, such as underwater and space. The design, unlike the internal combustion engine, produces power on demand, eliminating idling when there is no load on the system. Steam and oxygen, which are nontoxic to humans, are th