General
Aerospace Propulsion Products B.V. (APP) is a joint venture of Stork and TNO. For space, APP develops and produces igniters for the engines of the space launchers Ariane 5 and VEGA. APP has facilities and dedicated equipment for production and testing of solid propellant grains, HNF (hydrazinium nitroformate) and for the assembly of gas generators. APP has temperature and humidity controlled rooms for propellant mixing, casting and curing. Such facilities are also available for assembly of gas generators. A pilot plant for the production of HNF is available, producing HNF both for research purposes but also on a commercial basis. In January 2008, APP has opened a second production facility dedicated to the production of cool gas generators
APP applies space technology to the development and production of gas generators for many different applications. For her customer StuvEx, APP produces a very fast (hot) gas generator for the application in a dust explosion suppression system. Furthermore APP develops and produces cool gas generators based on technology patented by TNO.
Space activities
APP produces the pyrogen devices of the Vulcain engine of Europe's Ariane 5 launcher: the Turbo Pump Starter (TPS), the Gas Generator Igniter (GGI) en the Thrust Chamber Igniter (TCI). Also the pyrogen igniters for the first three stages of the small European rocket Vega have been developed and qualified by APP. Research and development on new restartable igniters for future launchers is carried out in the course of various ESA programmes such as FLPP.
APP is the European team leader for the development of a powerful non chlorinated oxidizer, dubbed HNF. In this frame APP develops and produces HNF on pilot plant scale and is preparing for industrialisation of HNF propellants as European team leader.
Space products and Technology Transfer
The most important space products are igniters and propulsion components e.g. cold gas systems. APP has a close cooperation with TNO, Stork and Bradford in different areas.
Technology transfer is important for APP. The knowledge of space propulsion systems and space qualified cold gas systems is applied in new terrestrial cold gas systems. Also in other products of APP, space components are applied.
