Burning rate analysis of laser controlled 5-aminotetrazole propellant

As an innovative propulsion technique, laser augmented chemical propulsion(LACP) seems superior to the traditional ones. However, the corresponding combustion theories have still to be ascertained for LACP. Burning rate of 5-aminotetrazole(5-ATZ) propellant has been studied by testing pressed samples under different combustor pressures and laser powers. Based on micro computed tomography(Micro CT),an advanced thickness-over-time(TOT) method to characterize the regression of the produced nonplanar burning surface is established. Because of a shell structure covering the combustion surface,the burning rate of the implemented 5-ATZ propellant is not constant during laser ablation. Resorting to functional fitting, a new law of non-constant burning including the effect of the observed unique burning surface structures is proposed. Accordingly, applicable combustion conditions of 5-ATZ based propellants have been preliminarily speculated for future research activities.

Effects of particle size and content of RDX on burning stability of RDXbased propellants

Particle size and content of RDX are the two main factors that affect the burning stability of RDX-based propellants. However, these effects and the corresponding mechanisms are still controversial. In this work, we investigated the physicochemical processes during burning and the corresponding mechanisms through the technologies of structure compactness analysis on the base of voidage measurement and theoretical interfacial area estimation, apparent burning rate measurement using closed vessel(CV)and extinguished burning surface characterization relying on interrupted closed vessel(ICV) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). The results indicate that the voidage increased with the increase of RDX content and particle size due to the increasing interfacial area and increasing interface gap size,respectively. The apparent burning rate increased with the increase of RDX particle size because of the decreasing RDX specific surface area on the burning surface, which could decrease the heat absorbing rates of the melting and evaporation processes of RDX in the condensed phase. Similarly, the apparent burning rate decreased with the increase of RDX content at pressures lower than around 55 MPa due to the increasing RDX specific surface area. Whereas, an opposite trend could be observed at pressures higher than around 55 MPa, which was attributed to the increasing heat feedback from the gas phase as the result of the increasing propellant energy. For propellants containing very coarse RDX particles, such as 97.8 and 199.4 μm average size, the apparent burning rate increased stably with a flat extinguished surface at pressures lower than around 30 MPa, while increased sharply above around 30 MPa with the extinguished surface becoming more and more rugged as the pressure increased. In addition, the turning degree of u-p curve increased with the increase of coarse RDX content and particle size, and could be reduced by improving the structure compactness.

Cu–Co–O nano-catalysts as a burn rate modifier for composite solid propellants

Nano-catalysts containing copper–cobalt oxides(Cu–Co–O) have been synthesized by the citric acid(CA) complexing method. Copper(II) nitrate and Cobalt(II) nitrate were employed in different molar ratios as the starting reactants to prepare three types of nano-catalysts. Well crystalline nano-catalysts were produced after a period of 3 hours by the calcination of CA–Cu–Co–O precursors at 550 °C. The phase morphologies and crystal composition of synthesized nano-catalysts were examined using Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy(EDS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy(FTIR) methods. The particle size of nano-catalysts was observed in the range of 90 nm–200 nm. The prepared nano-catalysts were used to formulate propellant samples of various compositions which showed high reactivity toward the combustion of HTPB/AP-based composite solid propellants. The catalytic effects on the decomposition of propellant samples were found to be significant at higher temperatures. The combustion characteristics of composite solid propellants were significantly improved by the incorporation of nano-catalysts. Out of the three catalysts studied in the present work, Cu Co-I was found to be the better catalyst in regard to thermal decomposition and burning nature of composite solid propellants. The improved performance of composite solid propellant can be attributed to the high crystallinity, low agglomeration and lowering the decomposition temperature of oxidizer by the addition of Cu Co-I nano-catalyst.

Combustion Characteristics of Solid Sustained-Release Energetic Materials

A solid sustained-release energetic material sample,an eruption device and a complete test system were prepared further to analyse the combustion characteristics of solid sustainedrelease energetic materials.The high-temperature heat flux generated by the combustion of the samples from the eruption device was used to penetrate the Q235 target plate.In addition,the meaning and calculation formula of energy density characterising the all-around performance of heat flux were proposed.The numerical simulation of the combustion effect of samples was carried out.According to the data comparison,the numerical simulation results agreed with the experimental results,and the maximum deviation between the two was less than 8.9%.In addition,the structure of the combustion wave and high-temperature jet was proposed and analysed.Based on theoretical analysis,experimental research and numerical simulation,the theoretical burning rate formula of the sample was established.The maximum error between the theoretically calculated mass burning rate and the experimental results was less than 9.8%.Therefore,using the gas-phase steady-state combustion model to study the combustion characteristics of solid sustained-release energetic materials was reasonable.The theoretical burning rate formula also had high accuracy.Therefore,the model could provide scientific and academic guidance for the theoretical research,system design and practical application of solid sustained-release energetic materials in related fields.

High-energy Metal Fuels for Rocket Propulsion： Characterization and Performance

A joint international effort to improve solid propellant performance within the framework of a FP7European Project was described.Several metallized solid rocket propellants,of the broad family AP/HTPB/Metal in the ratio 68/14/18,were experimentally analyzed seeking to optimize the delivered specific impulse by identifying the most suitable high-energy fuel.Keeping the same nominal composition,different metallic fuels(including micrometric and nanometric Al,AlH3,and a variety of dual metal compositions)were characterized,tested,and contrasted to a conventional micrometric aluminum(30μm average grain size)certified for space flights.In order to overcome the intrinsic performance limitations of the matrix AP/HTPB,a new matrix consisting of ADN/GAP satisfying also the need for environmentally benign propellant formulation was considered as well.A comparative analysis between the two solid propellant systems in terms of ideal thermochemistry and experimental combustion properties reveals advantages and disadvantages of both.Overall,it is judged worthwhile to develop ADN/GAP propellants,with or without metallic fuels,to enhance the current status of solid rocket propulsion.Controlling morphology and mechanical properties of ADN/GAP compositions and understanding their flame structure and aggregation/agglomeration properties are the main issues still challenging industrial users.

Innovative Metallized Formulations for Solid Rocket Propulsion

Several metallized solid rocket propellants,AP/Metal/HTPB in the ratio 68/18/14,were experimentally analyzed at the Space Propulsion Laboratory of Politecnico di Milano.Effects of the metals(micrometric and nanometric Al,B,Mg,and a variety of dual metals) on the performance of the propellant were studied and contrasted to a conventional micrometric aluminum(30 μm average grain size) taken as reference.It is shown that the propellant microstructure plays a fundamental role in controlling the critical aggregation/agglomeration phenomena occurring below and near the burning surface.Two specific effects of microstructure in terms of steady burning rate and average agglomerate size are illustrated.

Ignition of nanothermites by a laser diode pulse

Experimental investigation has been carried out for laser ignition and combustion of nanothermites based on aluminum and oxides of copper,bismuth and molybdenum.Ultrasonic mixing of nanosized powders was used to produce compositions.For thermite ignition,initiating laser pulse with a maximum intensity of 770 W/cm2 was generated by a laser diode with a wavelength of 808 nm.The ignition delay times,the minimum initiation energy density,and the average burning rate at various thermite densities and mass fractions of components were determined by recording the emission of radiation of the reaction products using a multichannel pyrometer jointly with a high-speed video camera.The effect of adding carbon black on the threshold parameters of a laser pulse was also studied.Based on the obtained results,certain assumptions were put forward with regard to the mechanism of nanothermites’ignition by laser radiation and their burning.In particular,the assumptions were made on the two-stage process of the reaction initiation and jet burning mechanism of porous nanothermites.

An Experimental Study on Fuel Combustion Under External Irradiance

In order to investigate the burning characteristics of a 0#diesel and 3#jet fuel,a small-scale experimental bench mainly composed of a cone calorimeter was arranged.The heat release and burning rates were investigated changing the external irradiance in order to clarify the triadic relationship among these quantities.The effective heat of combustion of 0#diesel and 3#jet fuel were 38.89 MJ/kg and 43.15 MJ/kg,respectively,with the corresponding combustion efficiencies being 96.78%and 99.60%(the effective peak heat of combustion being 1.665 times the mean value for both types of fuel).According to our experimental results,the heat release rate and burning rate of 0#diesel and 3#jet fuel both grow linearly with an increase in the external irradiance.Moreover,the heat release rate and burning rate of 3#jet fuel are greater than the equivalent values for the 0#diesel.The average smoke production rate of 0#diesel grows with an increase in the external irradiance,while for the 3#jet fuel it remains approximately the same.The specific extinction area of these two kinds of fuel shows a subtle decrease with the increase of external irradiance.The time to ignition of 3#jet fuel is smaller than 0#diesel for all the considered external irradiances,which indicates that 3#jet fuel is easier to ignite than the 0#diesel.

Experimental Investigation on Combustion Performance of Solid Propellant Subjected to Erosion of Particles with Different Concentrations

A test device with rectangular channel is developed to study the combustion performance of solid propellant in high temperature particles erosion.The flowfields in this newdevice and a test device with circular channels are simulated numerically.The particle erosion experiments in these two devices are carried out under different particle concentrations.The results showthat the test device with rectangular channel can effectively improve the clarity and precision of combustion diagnosis image and can be used for research on combustion performance of solid propellant under lowconcentration particle erosion;the circular channel device has good particle convergent effect,provides high concentration particle erosion,and can be used for research on the combustion performance of solid propellant under high concentration particle erosion.The experiment data indicates that the propellant burning rate does not change obviously in lower particle concentration;the propellant with lower static burning rate increases remarkably under particle erosion,while the propellant with high static burning rate is not sensitive to the particle erosion.

Recent advances in catalytic combustion of AP-based composite solid propellants

Composite solid propellants(CSPs) have widely been used as main energy source for propelling the rockets in both space and military applications. Internal ballistic parameters of rockets like characteristic exhaust velocity, specific impulse, thrust, burning rate etc., are measured to assess and control the performance of rocket motors. The burn rate of solid propellants has been considered as most vital parameter for design of solid rocket motors to meet specific mission requirements. The burning rate of solid propellants can be tailored by using different constituents, extent of oxidizer loading and its particle size and more commonly by incorporating suitable combustion catalysts. Various metal oxides(MOs),complexes, metal powders and metal alloys have shown positive catalytic behaviour during the combustion of CSPs. These are usually solid-state catalysts that play multiple roles in combustion of CSPs such as reduction in activation energy, enhancement of rate of reaction, modification of sequences in reaction-phase, influence on condensed-phase combustion and participation in combustion process in gas-phase reactions. The application of nanoscale catalysts in CSPs has increased considerably in recent past due to their superior catalytic properties as compared to their bulk-sized counterparts. A large surface-to-volume ratio and quantum size effect of nanocatalysts are considered to be plausible reasons for improving the combustion characteristics of propellants. Several efforts have been made to produce nanoscale combustion catalysts for advanced propellant formulations to improve their energetics. The work done so far is largely scattered. In this review, an effort has been made to introduce various combustion catalysts having at least a metallic entity. Recent developments of nanoscale combustion catalysts with their specific merits are discussed. The combustion chemistry of a typical CSP is briefly discussed for providing a better understanding on role of combustion catalysts in burning rate enhancement. Available information on different types of combustion nanocatalysts is also presented with critical comments.

Studies on aluminum powder combustion in detonation environment

The combustion mechanism of aluminum particles in a detonation environment characterized by high temperature(in unit 10^(3)K),high pressure(in unit GPa),and high-speed motion(in units km/s)was studied,and a combustion model of the aluminum particles in detonation environment was established.Based on this model,a combustion control equation for aluminum particles in detonation environment was obtained.It can be seen from the control equation that the burning time of aluminum particle is mainly affected by the particle size,system temperature,and diffusion coefficient.The calculation result shows that a higher system temperature,larger diffusion coefficient,and smaller particle size lead to a faster burn rate and shorter burning time for aluminum particles.After considering the particle size distribution characteristics of aluminum powder,the application of the combustion control equation was extended from single aluminum particles to nonuniform aluminum powder,and the calculated time corresponding to the peak burn rate of aluminum powder was in good agreement with the experimental electrical conductivity results.This equation can quantitatively describe the combustion behavior of aluminum powder in different detonation environments and provides technical means for quantitative calculation of the aluminum powder combustion process in detonation environment.

Effects of Nano-Aluminium on The Combustion of A PolyNIMMO-Based Propellant

Propellants containing micro-aluminium particles have been shown to produce faster burn rates than conventional gun propellants.However,they are also more abrasive than conventional propellants.Nano-material propellants have been reported to give similar benefits to micron-material propellants but without the disadvantage of increased abrasion.Tests were conducted to compare the burn rates,ignitability and wear rates of a propellant loaded with 0% aluminium,15% micro-aluminium and 15%nano-aluminium.Closed vessel tests showed a burn rate increase of 39% in the range 30-250 MPa,and 70% at low pressure(50-100MPa)for the nano-aluminium propellant compared with the baseline propellant.The micro-aluminium propellant showed only a 10%increase in the burn rate compared with the standard propellant.The ignition delay for the nano-aluminium propellant was slightly shorter than that of the baseline propellant.Substantially increased wear rates were measured for the micro-aluminium propellant.The nano-aluminium propellant showed reduced wear rates compared with the micro-aluminium propellant but these were still substantially greater than those for the baseline propellant.

Role of Air Staging in a Batch-Type Fixed Bed Biomass Combustor under Constant Primary Air

Staged combustion of biomass is the most suitable thermo-chemical conversion for achieving lower gaseous emissions and higher fuel conversion rates.In a staged fixed bed combustion of biomass,combustion air is supplied in two stages.In the first stage,primary air is provided below the fuel,whereas in the later stage,secondary air is supplied in the freeboard region.The available literature on the effects of air staging(secondary air location) at a constant primary air flow rate on combustion characteristics in a batch-type fixed bed combustor is limited and hence warrants further investigations.This study resolves the effect of air staging,by varying the location of secondary air in the freeboard at five secondary to total air ratios in a batch-type fixed bed combustor.Results are reported for the effects of these controlled parameters on fuel conversion rate,overall gaseous emissions(CO_(2),CO and NO_x) and temperature distributions.The fuel used throughout was densified hardwood pellets.Results show that a primary freeboard length(distance between fuel bed top and secondary air injection) of200 mm has higher fuel conversion rates and temperatures as well as lower CO emissions,at a secondary to total air ratio of 0.75 as compared to primary freeboard length of 300 mm.However,NO_x emissions were found to be lower for a primary freeboard length of 300 mm as compared to 200 mm.An increase in secondary to total air ratio from 0.33 to 0.75 resulted in higher freeboard temperatures and lower CO as well as NO_x emissions.The outcomes of this study will be helpful in the effective design of commercial scale biomass combustors for more efficient and environmentally friendly combustion.

Combustion performance studies of aluminum and boron based composite solid propellants in sub-atmospheric pressure regimes

The aim of present study is to investigate the burning rate,ignition delay,and flame characteristics of ammonium perchlorate(AP)-hydroxyl terminated poly-butadiene(HTPB)[AP/HTPB]based composite propellants(CSP's)in sub-atmospheric pressure regimes(13 kPae100 kPa).Several fuels and catalyzed were used to evaluate their effects on the combustion characteristics of AP based propellants in sub-atmospheric pressure regimes.In fuels,aluminum(Al)and boron(B)were selected as metallic and non-metallic fuel respectively.While in catalyst,butyl ferrocene(B.F.)and ferric oxide(F.O.)were selected as liquid and solid catalyst respectively.Apart from these,other ingredients that were used are di-octyl adipate(DOA),toluene di-isocyanate(TDI),and glycerol.The article throws some light on the burning rate and ignition delay properties for these new classes of prepared propellant samples.At subatmospheric pressures,all propellants are susceptible to irregular burning with the ejection of soot's,fumes,and unburned particles.F.O.based catalyzed propellants can sustain its combustion up to the lowest pressure.

Detailed modeling of aluminum particle combustion——From single particles to cloud combustion in Bunsen flames

A numerical model for aluminum cloud combustion which includes the effects of interphase heat transfer,phase change,heterogeneous surface reactions,homogeneous combustion,oxide cap growth and radiation within the Euler–Lagrange framework is proposed.The model is validated in single particle configurations with varying particle diameters.The combustion process of a single aluminum particle is analyzed in detail and the particle consumption rates as well as the heat release rates due to the various physical/chemical sub-models are presented.The combustion time of single aluminum particles predicted by the model are in very good agreement with empirical correlations for particles with diameters larger than 10μm.The prediction error for smaller particles is noticeably reduced when using a heat transfer model that is capable of capturing the transition regime between continuum mechanics and molecular dynamics.The predictive capabilities of the proposed model framework are further evaluated by simulating the aluminum/air Bunsen flames of Mc Gill University for the first time.Results show that the predicted temperature distribution of the flame is consistent with the experimental data and the double-front structure of the Bunsen flame is reproduced well.The burning rates of aluminum in both single particle and particle cloud configurations are calculated and compared with empirical correlations.Results show that the burning rates obtained from the present model are more reasonable,while the correlations,when embedded in the Euler–Lagrange context,tend to underestimate the burning rate in the combustion stage,particularly for the considered fuel-rich flames.