Casting KNO3 Sugar Propellant

This page explains the casting process I use to make sugar

propellant grains for my home built motors. I tend to use a 65%
KNO3 and 35% Sugar mix for all my motors. It gives just about
maximum performance with relatively low combustion
temperatures, in fact, the combustion temperatures are low
enough that no thermal insulation is required in the motor when
using steel for the casing, nozzle and top closure. Stainless steel
could be used, but it is an added expense not required.
To start with, the KNO3 and sugar(this is powdered sugar, under a
dollar for a two pound bag) should be carefully measured by
weight, to the desired 65%/35% ratio. I use a triple beam lab
scale. First, weigh a plastic, sealable container (such as
tupperware) on the scale. This is your tare weight, for example,
let's say our plastic container weighs 11 grams, and we are
making a 100 gram batch of propellant. We need to add 65 grams
of KNO3 to the container so we would set the scale to 76 grams,
and add KNO3 until the scale balanced at 76 grams. Now we need
to add the 35 grams of sugar, so the scale is now set to 111
grams, and sugar added until the scale is again balanced. Now we
have the correct ratio of fuel (sugar) to oxidizer (KNO3).
I use two different preparation techniques for mixing the sugar
and KNO3.
1. If I am seeking maximum Isp, and a fast burn rate, I use a
tumbler with leads balls to grind and mix the KNO3 and
sugar. Care must be taken, as the mixture is now flammable.
Keep away from heat, physical shock and static charge. I
tumble the mix at a very low rpm, for about three hours. The
result is a very fine, homogenous powder.
2. If I want a lower burn rate, and don't mind a slightly lower
Isp, I will simply put the cover on the container I weighed in.
And shake it for a few minutes before casting. This method
also makes casting easier, as the courser particles make a
thinner, less viscous propellant when melted.
Before starting the heat casting process. Make sure you have
everything on hand before starting.

 Heating Pot. I use a Presto Multi Cooker. It is thermostat

controlled from 200 to 400 (F) and has a non stick surface.
It's about $20 from any discount store. Never use a pot on a
range or electric burner! Only use a heating vessel with
embedded heating elements. Test the heating vessel with
small amounts of propellant to identify problematic local hot
spots. Always pre heat before adding the dry propellant.
Heavy Duty Plastic mixing spoon for stirring the propellant. I
use one that has a flat tip, it makes scraping the bottom
easy.
A couple of more smaller spoons for scraping the larger
spoon.
Casting stand. I use a wood base, with a PVC support tube
glued to the wood. I also drill a centering hole in the wood to
insert the coring tool.
Casting tube. (if making an outside inhibited grain) This
could just be a few wraps of paper lining the inside of the
PVC support, a cardboard tube or even a smaller diameter
PVC sleeve. I've had good luck with 2.5 to 3 layers of regular
20 pound printer paper on motors 1.5" and smaller. For
larger motors I use 2 turns of tag board paper, finish up with
a layer of aluminum tape over the paper or cardboard once
the grains have cured. The idea is to keep the outside
surface of the grain from burning, it only has to last a for a
couple of seconds or less.
Wax Paper. I use a small piece of wax paper in the bottom of
the support tube to keep the propellant from sticking to the
wood base.
Coring tool. This is a rod to create the core in the grain. It can
be most anything that's smooth and won't melt. I use hard
wood dowels that I coat with paraffin for small cores, and
steel bar for larger motors.
Gloves. The melted propellant will stick to you and leave
painful, nasty blisters. Use gloves!
Heavy, long sleeved shirt. Again, to prevent burns.

 Full face shield. You really don't want this stuff on your face.
It may also save your pretty face if your propellant burns
unexpectedly.
Water. Keep at least 5 gallons of cold water on hand.
Fire extinguisher. Just in case!
I also use silicone spray. Available from dive stores. I comes
in a little pump bottle, spray some on the coring tool to make
removal of the tool easier.
Everything ready? Now comes the fun part, sort of...

Let your pot preheat to 325(F) then add your premixed

KNO3 and sugar. This batch used prilled/granular KNO3
and was not ball milled in the tumbler. This batch weighed
450 grams (just under 1 pound). Start stirring as soon as
the powder is in the pot and don't stop stirring.

This is after about 1.5 minutes, you can see it starting to

form clumps.

This is after 2.5 minutes, there are more small clumps.

About 3.5 minutes, don't stop stirring!

After 5 minutes there is no powder left, it's all small

clumps.

After 6 minutes it's starting to liquefy.

After about 7 minutes it starts looking like mashed

potatoes.

After 8 minutes it's becoming a viscous liquid. At this point

I try to spread it out to cover the bottom of the pot. Rather
that actually stirring, I sort of push it around with the
spoon.

Now it's truly a thick liquid, and you can stir again. At this
point some bubbles will start to appear, I believe this is
water boiling out.

Keep heating and stirring until all lumps are gone, and no
more bubbles come to the surface. At this point the
propellant is ready to be cast. Turn the heat off and spray
silicone on the coring tool.

Update: I now add 2% of the total propellant batch weight in

propylene glycol to thin the propellant. You can see some
information on the propylene glycol here. Once thinned with the
propylene glycol the melted propellant can, for the most part, be
poured into the casting tubes when using granular KNO3.
Now scoop the propellant into the casting tube with your
big spoon. You only have 2 or 3 minutes before the
propellant starts to harden and thicken. Using the
granular/non-milled version, the propellant is liquid
enough that no packing is needed to remove air spaces. I
just tap the whole thing on the counter after each big
scoop to help settle the propellant. If you ball milled the
mix, you may need to use a frozen steel bar to pack the
propellant into the casting tube. Bubbles in the propellant
can be a disaster, they increase the burn surface area,
thus increasing chamber pressure to point your motor may
overpressure.

Fill the casting tube not quite full, now insert your coring
tool. As the tool is lowered into the propellant, displaced
propellant fills the casting tube to the top. Try to keep the
coring tool in the center of the casting tube, when you hit
the wooden base, rotate to tool slightly to find the hole in
the bottom. Push the tool into the pre drilled hole to
center and hold the coring tool in place.
Set the casting stand in a cool place (not a freezer).
Depending on the size of your grain, it may take anywhere
from 15 to 30 minutes to firm up. I like to remove my
coring tool while the propellant is still warm. Don't take it
out too soon, or the propellant will slump back into the
core. A little experience here will tell you when to remove
the tool.

A few notes about the propellant:

Sugar propellant is very hygroscopic, that is, it readily
absorbs moisture from the air. You need to keep your grains
stored in a desiccant box of some type. I use a large
tupperware tub with an air tight lid. I filled the bottom with
calcium chloride pellets (ice melt) and used a wire grate in
the bottom to keep the grains out of the calcium chloride.
Never case bond the propellant. In other words, don't cast
the propellant directly into your motor casing. The propellant
is very brittle, and when the motor comes up to pressure the
case will flex, the propellant won't flex, it will crack. Causing
a large surface propellant area to be exposed to burning,
causing a probable cato (KABOOM). Early on I tried case
bonding, each and every time the motor failed.
Start with small motors and work your way up.
Some people consider sugar propellants as amateurish. Well,
I think that's just fine. I can fly 60 of my J class motors for the
same cost as one commercial J motor. Now, who do you think
does more flying? The density of sugar propellants is high,
cubic inch for cubic inch you can pack just about as much
impulse in a sugar motor as you can an AP motor. The fast
burning propellant also means you don't carry around the

weight of unburned propellant very long, it also gives you

quick acceleration for quick flight stability.
When using a paper casting tube/liner. Make your support
tube removable. I use a PVC support tube and cut about 1/2"
off a PVC coupler of the same size. Then glue the coupler
piece you cut off to the wood base. The PVC support tube
can then be easily removed. Also, with a paper liner, they
tend to want to float up out of the support tube as you pack
in the propellant. I started cutting the paper liners a little
longer, then scored the bottom of the paper with a scissors
to flare out the bottom. Then push the support tube onto the
base with the flared paper caught under the support tube.
You can tape wax paper to your coring tool to keep it from
sticking. The wax paper usually stays stuck to the grain but
the tool comes out easy. You should clean the wax paper out
of the core with a drill bit, knife or sand paper.
You can cast grains without a core at all. Once the grains are
cooled you can drill them out to the desired core size. A
spade (flat) bit seems to work the best. It is a waste of
propellant though, and I always have a hard time drilling the
core out true.
Home Contact Me