Monopropellant-Driven Free Piston Hydraulic Pump for Mobile Robotic Systems

Abstract
The authors present a novel power supply for mobile robotic systems. A monopropellant (e.g., hydrogen peroxide) decomposes into high temperature gases, which drive a free piston hydraulic pump (FPHP). The elimination of fuel/oxidizer mixing allows the design of simple, lightweight systems capable of operation in oxygen free environments. A thermodynamic analysis has been performed, and an experimental FPHP has been built and tested. The prototype successfully pumped hydraulic fluid, although the flow rate was limited by the off-the-shelf components used.

This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit: