Chemical, Physical and Hazards Properties of Quadricyclane

Theoretical predictions have identified quadricyclane, a liquid hydrocarbon, as a possible replacement for, or additive to, the current kerosene-based rocket propellant RP-1. Density, viscosity, thermal conductivity, heat capacity, flash point, purity, 90-day aging, high temperature decomposition, impact sensitivity, friction sensitivity and detonation sensitivity (card gap) have been studied. In-depth studies on the thermal decomposition and rapid compression heating were performed by NASA White Sands and are included in this report. Taken as a whole, the results indicate that quadricyclane can be easily handled as a liquid propellant fuel and should have performance advantages over RP-1. However, since the performance and physical properties of quadricyclane differ from RP-1, implementation of quadricyclane may require some modification of current propulsion hardware.Air Force Research Lab Edwards Afb CA is the author of 'Chemical, Physical and Hazards Properties of Quadricyclane', published 1998 under ISBN 9781423561477 and ISBN 1423561473.