Manufacture of MTV Pellets and Granules by Chuck Piper

Obtaining a reliable, safe, and inexpensive means of igniting solid propellant rocket motors has long been the goal of both the professional, and hobbyist rocket builder.

Presently, there exists a considerable body of knowledge on the design and construction of solid propellant motors, and rocket flight vehicles available to these individuals. Unfortunately, very little technical information on igniters or igniter materials exists that is written at comprehension level that can be reasonably understood by any but the most technically advanced of today’s experimental rocket builders. In other words, you really do have to be “a rocket scientist” to understand most of it!

That which does exist, is usually embodied in highly technical reports, journals, and manuals, whose distribution is essentially limited, to those persons in the defense or aerospace industry, on a need to know basis. That information which is available to the average rocketeer, and is not considered as “defense sensitive”, is in many instances, closely held as “company proprietary information” by those who have developed it. The manufacture of MTV is no exception.

There are only several companies in the U.S. that manufacture this material. Generally, not for re-sale: and usually only as a load material for use in a specific device, that they themselves or a subcontractor is assembling. In other words, it is not a typical “off-the- shelf “ material such as is the case with Boron / Potassium Nitrate ( BKNO3 ) ignition pellets, and granules..

Of the companies that manufacture this material; each one has its own proprietary process for converting the constituent ingredients into a finished product. The author has experienced in his professional capacity, that manufacturers of MTV are not very forth coming when it comes to discussing any of the technical details concerning its manufacture. Likewise, the operation of the various types of processing equipment used in its manufacture is something very closely held.

While many of the solid propellant rocket motors available to today’s’ rocket enthusiasts ( whether they be model rocketeers, “build it yourself” experimentalists , or the more recent category of aficionados known as high-power rocketeers ) utilize modern, near state of the art, composite solid propellants; the means of reliably igniting these motors (i.e. igniter technology, and igniter materials ) has clearly lagged far behind that of motor development.

The purpose then, of this report, is to bridge the “information gap” between motors and ignition methodology, by addressing much of the information concerning MTV here-to- fore un-disclosed to most of those in the traditional (non-professional) experimental, and high power rocket communities. It is quite possible that many readers out there have never even heard of MTV, or mistakenly believe that it is only a television network that “serves up” music videos.

While a complete and thorough understanding of this subject cannot be accomplished without an extensive discussion of chemistry , physics, thermodynamics, gas dynamics, and other advanced engineering disciplines , we have opted to take a somewhat less rigorous approach. . We hope that this report will assist you in your quest of producing ignition materials for use in igniters for those bigger, better, and safer rockets.