A New Simulation Method for 3D Propellant Grain Burn Analysis of Solid Rocket Motor

Describes a new computer program (Regress-3D) to simulate the regression of complex 3D grain cavity and calculate the burning surface area. It has a large region of applicability in solid rocket motor design and has made new improvements compared with other available codes. User can easily and rapidly build his initial grain shapes and then obtain geometric information of his design. Considering with the calclulting results, redesigning can be performed as desire until reaching at the satisfied result. Advantages and disadvantages of this method are also discussed.

Study on Instable Combustion of Solid Rocket Motor with Finocyl Grain

The instable combustion or oscillation combustion which occurs in three high capacity solid rocket motors using high energy composite propellant with finocyl grain is studied. The reasons of the acoustic combustion instability are also discussed. Three engineering methods that can eliminate combustion instability are proposed and discussed. The study shows that the combustion instability mainly depends on the propellant grain shape and nozzle structure. Some measures to reduce the acoustic energy and mass generation rate of combustion gas can be adopted. The test results indicate that the modified rocket motors can significantly eliminate the instable combustion and improve the motor internal ballistic performance.

Overview of Physical and Chemical, Operational Properties of Nitrous Oxide Used as a Propellant for Low-thrust Rocket Engines

The results of a system analysis of the efficiency of nitrous oxide(N_2O) as a propellant component for small space vehicles(SSV) were presented. A criterion for mass efficiency of the SSV propulsion system(PS) is determined. The current global state-of-the-art of SSV PSs is shown. The application field of nitrous oxide in SSV PSs is calculated and mass efficiency of N_2O application is quantitatively determined. An overview of physical and chemical as well as operational properties of nitrous oxide as a promising, non-toxic component of rocket propellant is provided. Main physical and chemical constants of gaseous and liquid nitrous oxide; chemical properties of N_2O, thermal stability of N_2O, catalytic decomposition of N_2O, a mechanism of decomposition of N_2O, catalysts for decomposition of N_2O, ballast additives to N_2O, application of nitrous oxide, nitrous oxide as a rocket propellant, production of nitrous oxide, toxicity of nitrous oxide, fire hazard of N_2O, requirements to equipment when handling N_2O; storage and transportation of N_2O are considered. It is demonstrated that nitrous oxide is a chemical compound meeting the requirements to rocket propellants, including those related to the environmental friendliness of propellants. With 75 references.

The properties of Sn-Zn-Al-La fusible alloy for mitigation devices of solid propellant rocket motors

The Al and La elements are added to the Sn9Zn alloy to obtain the fusible alloy for the mitigation devices of solid propellant rocket motors. Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), metallographic analysis,scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), tensile testing and fracture analysis were used to study the effect of Al and La elements on the microstructure, melting characteristics, and mechanical properties of the Sn9Zn alloy. Whether the fusible diaphragm can effectively relieve pressure was investigated by the hydrostatic pressure at high-temperature test. Experimental results show that the melting point of the Sn9Zn-0.8Al0·2La and Sn9Zn-3Al0·2La fusible alloys can meet the predetermined working temperature of ventilation. The mechanical properties of those are more than 35% higher than that of the Sn9Zn alloy at-50°C-70°C, and the mechanical strength is reduced by 80% at 175°C. It is proven by the hydrostatic pressure at high-temperature test that the fusible diaphragm can relieve pressure effectively and can be used for the design of the mitigation devices of solid propellant rocket motors.

Improvement in Time Efficiency in Numerical Simulation for Solid Propellant Rocket Motors(SPRM)

The main purpose of the present work is to study the possibilities of reducing calculation time while maintaining the validity in the numerical simulation of the combustion product flow in SPRM chamber.Three ways of decreasing the calculation time-the use of numerical methods of high accuracy order,the reduction in spatial dimension of the problem,and the use of physical features of the processes in SPRM chamber while constructing a calculation model-were considered.Presented calculation data show that the use of these approaches makes it possible to reduce the time for solving the problems of SPRM simulation significantly(up to 100times).Also conclusions about the applicability of the mentioned above approaches in SPRM design were made.

Discrete element analysis on press and fracture mechanism of propellant grain

To analyze fracture mechanism of propellant grain and study the mechanical properties of propellant grain, the press and fracture processes of propellant grain with and without initial defects are modeled using the discrete element method. On the basis of the appropriate constitutive relationships, the discrete element model of the propellant grain was established. Compared with experimental measurements, the micro-parameters of the bonded-particle model of the propellant grain under unconfined uniaxial compression tests were calibrated. The propellant grains without initial defects, with initial surface defects, and with initial internal defects were studied numerically through a series of unconfined uniaxial compression tests. Results show that the established discrete element model is an efficient tool to study the press and fracture processes of the propellant grain. The fracture process of the propellant grain without initial defects can be divided into the elastic deformation phase, crack initiation phase, crack stable propagation phase, and crack unstable propagation phase. The fracture mechanism of this grain is the global shear failure along the direction of the maximum shear stress. Initial defects have significant effects on both the fracture mechanism and peak strength of the propellant grain. The major fracture mechanism of the propellant grain with initial surface defects is local shear failure, whereas that of the propellant grain with initial internal defects is global tensile failure. Both defects weaken the peak strengths of the propellant grain. Therefore, the carrying and filling process of the propellant grain needs to minimize initial defects as far as possible.

Technique to Assess Aging of Propellant Grain

Physical properties of composite propellants used in solid rocket motors change significantly with age. To predict the margin of safety and to reevaluate the remaining service life, the structural integrity analysis of solid propellant grains of aged rocket motors is performed at various stages of their life span. To have the reliable results from these analyses, it is mandatory to use the current physical properties of the propellant at the time of analysis. Change in physical properties due to aging is more significant at exposed surfaces. Traditional methods of assessing current physical properties may not truly rep resent the properties of the batch. The paper presents a novel technique to measure the stress strain response at the exposed surface of propellant grain using a miniature-testing device. This specially designed device is able to measure the stress response while the propellant surface is compressed at a constant rate. This measured stress strain behavior is then co-related with the physical properties measured by routine tensile tests of the similar type of propellant which is aged artificially. It is observed that there exists an excellent correlation between the measured stress values by the sensor and physical properties measured by uni-axial tensile test. This nondestructive technique provides properties of propellant grains of all the motors in the batch comprehensively. The technique is safe as well as economical as compared to the traditional methods.

First Systematic Testing Platform for Pressurization Feed System Developed for Liquid Rocket Propellant in China

Beijing Aerospace System Engineering Institute of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) declared recently that theinstitute has set up a laboratory whichwould operate a newly

Identification of Backflow Vortex Instability in Rocket Engine Inducers

Bayesian estimation is applied to the analysis of backflow vortex instabilities in typical three-and four bladed liquid propellant rocket(LPR)engine inducers.The flow in the impeller eye is modeled as a set of equally intense and evenly spaced 2D axial vortices,located at the same radial distance from the axis and rotating at a fraction of the impeller speed.The circle theorem and the Bernoulli’s equation are used to predict the flow pressure in terms of the vortex number,intensity,rotational speed,and radial position.The theoretical spectra so obtained are frequency broadened to mimic the dispersion of the experimental data and parametrically fitted to the measured pressure spectra by maximum likelihood estimation with equal and independent Gaussian errors.The method is applied to three inducers,tested in water at room temperature and different loads and cavitation conditions.It successfully characterizes backflow instabilities using the signals of a single pressure transducer flush-mounted on the casing of the impeller eye,effectively by-passing the aliasing and data acquisition/reduction complexities of traditional multiple-sensor cross correlation methods.The identification returns the estimates of the model parameters and their standard errors,providing the information necessary for assessing the accuracy and statistical significance of the results.The flowrate is found to be the major factor affecting the backflow vortex instability,which,on the other hand,is rather insensitive to the occurrence of cavitation.The results are consistent with the data reported in the literature,as well as with those generated by the auxiliary models specifically developed for initializing the maximum likelihood searches and supporting the identification procedure.

Microwave Attenuation of Solid Propellant Exhaust Plume in Oblique Orientation

Aim To investigate the effects of the incident orientation on the microwave attenuation. Methods Attenuation allowing microwave signal transmitting in an oblique or vertical direction through the solid propellant exhaust plume was computed, and the experiments were performed utilizing a lab scale solid rocket motor with a fully expanded nozzle. Results The predicted results accord well with the experimental results. Conclusion The microwave attenuation in the oblique path is greater than that in the vertical path.

Experimental Investigation on Basic Prototype of Solid Propellant Impulsive Microthrusters

A new type of impulsive microthruster and its measurement system were designed for the aim of testing the performance of a basic prototype of solid propellant impulsive microthruster. Two sets of tests were conducted. The tests show that the ignitor and the main charge of the microthruster match well, the dynamic and static capability of the test and measurement meets the test requirement and the result is creditable. The measured technical characteristics of the microthruster are that the ignition delay time is shorter than 0 3?ms, the total impulse is over 3?N·s, the operational time is shorter than 16?ms and the mass ratio of the thruster is 0 216.

Overview of Al-based nanoenergetic ingredients for solid rocket propulsion

The introduction of nano-sized energetic ingredients first occurred in Russia about 60 years ago and arose great expectations in the rocket propulsion community, thanks to the higher energy densities and faster energy release rates exhibited with respect to conventional ingredients. But, despite intense worldwide research programs, still today mostly laboratory level applications are reported and often for scientific purposes only. A number of practical reasons prevent the applications at industrial level: inert native coating of the energetic particles, nonuniform dispersion, aging, excessive viscosity of the slurry propellant, possible limitations in mechanical properties, more demanding safety issues, cost, and so on.This paper describes the main features in terms of performance of solid rocket propellants loaded with nanometals and intends to emphasize the unique properties or operating conditions made possible by the addition of the nano-sized energetic ingredients. Steady and unsteady combustion regimes are examined.

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.

Experimental Investigation of the Flame Propagation and Flashback Behavior of a Green Propellant Consisting of N2O and C2H4

Regarding the research on alternatives for monopropellant hydrazine, several so called green propellants are currently under investigation or qualification. Aside others, the DLR Institute of Space Propulsion investigates a N20/C2I-I4 premixed green propellant. During the research activities, flashback from the rocket combustion chamber into the feeding system has been identified as a major challenge when using the propellant mixture. This paper shows the results of ignition experiments conducted in a cylindrical, optical accessible ignition chamber. During the ignition and flame propagation process, pressure, temperature and high-speed video data were collected. The high speed video data were used to analyze the flame propagation speed. The obtained propagation speed was about 20 rn/s at ignition, while during further propagation of the flame speeds of up to 120 m/s were measured. Additionally, two different porous materials as flame arresting elements were tested： Porous stainless steel and porous bronze material. For both materials Peclet numbers for flashback were derived. The critical Peclet number for the sintered bronze material was around 20, while for the sintered stainless steel the critical Peclet number seems to be larger than 40. Due to the test results, sintered porous materials seem to be suitable as flashback arresters.

Burning Regression Analysis for 3D Grain Configurations

Grain design is essentially filling a prescribed volume （chamber case） with a certain shape of propellant so as to ensure mission requirements. An infinite number of possibilities exist, covering from two dimensional to three dimensional grain designs. Accurate calculation of grain geometrical properties plays a vital role in performance prediction. In this paper a methodology has been presented for designing 3D grain configuration for Solid Rocket Motors （SRMs）. The design process involves parametric modeling of the geometry in CAD software through dynamic variables that define the complex configuration. Initial geometry is defined in the form of a surface which defines the grain configuration. Grain bum back is achieved by making new surfaces at each web increment and calculating geometrical properties at each step. Geometrical calculations are based on volume and change in volume calculations. Models for Axisymetric and Finocyl grain configuration have been developed. Equilibrium pressure method is used to calculate the internal ballistics. The procedure adopted can be applied to any complex geometry in a relatively simple way for preliminary designing of grain configuration.

First Liquid Oxygen and Coal-Derived Kerosene Rocket Engine Firing Test Succeeded

A ground hot firing test of an overall rocket engine using liquid oxygen and coal-derived kerosene as propellant was conducted on April 12,2015.The success of the test proved that coal-derived kerosene could be used for aerospace application as petroleum-derived aerospace kerosene.It was the first attempt not only for China but also for the whole world to use coal-derived kerosene

Finocyl Grain Design and Optimization Using Sequential Quadratic Programming

Design technique of 3D Finocyl grain configuration for Solid Rocket Motors, including its performance prediction and optimization is discussed. In doing so, the design objectives and constraints are set, geometric parameters of Finocyl grain are identified, and performance prediction parameters are calculated, thereafter the preliminary design is completed and optimal design is reached. For every grain design, it is necessary that the minimum possible mass of propellant is used to produce the required thrust within a certain limit of burning time. By using this technique of design and optimization, the vital parameter of propellant mass is optimized to its minimum value, yet vital parameter of thrust is attained in the required burning time with the fixed length and diameter of motor. Especially a geometrical model of grain configuration is developed by using various combinations of ellipsoid, cone, cylinder, sphere, torus and inclined plane. With the diameter of the motor fixed, the Finocyl Grain geometry totally depends on sixteen independent variables. Each of these variables has a bearing on explicit characteristic of Finocyl grain design and optimization. Changing the value of each of these variables brings significant effects on the performance. Due to such attributes of Finocyl grain configuration, compromises will result. Overall optimal design is ensured through assigning and analyzing a suitable range of geometric parameters satisfying the requirements of minimum mass of propellant and ensuring sound values for internal ballistic parameters while remaining within the design constraints of thrust, burning time, length and diameter of chamber case.

Numerical Analysis and Modelling of a 100 N Hypergolic Liquid Bipropellant Thruster

This study focuses on the stepwise procedure involved in the development of a numerical model of a bi-propellant hypergolic chemical propulsion system using key features and performance characteristics of existing and planned (near future) propulsion systems. The study targets specific impulse of 100 N delivery performance of thrust chambers which is suitable for primary propulsion and attitude control for spacecraft. Results from numerical models are reported and validated with the Rocket Propulsion Analysis (RPA) computation concept. In the modelling process, there was proper consideration for the essential parts of the thruster engine such as the nozzle, combustion chamber, catalyst bed, injector, and cooling jacket. This propulsion system is designed to be fabricated in our next step in advancing this idea, using a combination of additive manufacturing technology and commercial off the shelf (COTS) parts along with non-toxic propellants. The two non-toxic propellants being considered are Hydrogen Peroxide as the oxidiser and Kerosene as the fuel, thus making it a low-cost, readily available and environmentally-friendly option for future microsatellite missions.

固体火箭发动机零维内弹道点火模型与计算

点火过程是内弹道的初始阶段,但由于点火过程的复杂性以及点火机理仍然不完善,点火过程始终不能与内弹道有机结合,使得目前工程上的内弹道计算只能忽略点火过程而直接选择点火压强作为计算初始点。以零维内弹道理论为基础,建立了点火过程3个阶段,即点火诱导期、火焰传播期和充气期的简化理论模型,可以与零维内弹道有机结合,从而完成了内弹道从环境压强(而不是点火压强)开始计算的完整过程。通过实例计算与验证,该模型能够很好展示在点火阶段燃烧室压强的建立过程,并可以计算得到点火延迟时间、火焰传播时间、点火药流量等点火参数,具有较高的预示精度,满足工程计算要求。研究表明,建立的点火过程理论模型与传统零维内弹道一样计算简便快捷,并具有较好精度的工程应用化特点。研究结果对于完善固体火箭发动机内弹道理论、提高固体火箭发动机内弹道预示精度,均具有重要的实际应用意义。由于采用了简化的点火过程理论模型,该结果不能直接用于点火性能的研究,只能用于零维内弹道性能的预估与计算。

HAN基单组元推进剂热分解过程的分子动力学模拟

为揭示非催化点火方式的硝酸羟胺(HAN)基单组元液体火箭发动机内推进剂的反应机理,采用分子动力学模拟方法,在ReaxFF/lg力场下对HAN基推进剂热分解机理及配方影响作用机制开展研究。计算结果表明:推进剂热分解过程存在两个阶段。第一个阶段为吸热阶段,推进剂内硝酸羟胺和硝酸肼氢键断裂,分解生成羟胺、肼和硝酸,吸热阶段主要受推进剂内氢键个数影响;第二个阶段为推进剂分解反应阶段,由硝酸和羟胺的分解所引发,生成NH_(2)、NO_(2)和OH。OH为主要的氧化性物质,与肼、甲醇反应,生成大量的水。肼在推进剂中的分解主要依靠与OH反应脱氢,生成N_(2)H_(3),并最终分解形成N_(2)和H_(2)。推进剂配方仅对与OH的反应有显著影响。降低甲醇的含量,能够显著提升燃料的反应速率,同时促进肼分子的反应脱氢,提高推进剂初始分解速率;提高硝酸羟胺的含量能够促进甲醇的分解,但受肼分解反应速率较低的影响,推进剂整体分解速率降低。