Published 6 issues per year
ISSN Print: 2150-766X
ISSN Online: 2150-7678
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A COMPARISON OF SOLID MONOPROPELLANT COMBUSTION AND MODELING
ABSTRACT
Many of the ingredients in solid propellants burn as monopropellants. This paper focuses on the combustion characteristics of two nitrarmine monopropellants, RDX and HMX. Monopropellant modeling efforts are reviewed. Early models describing monopropellants were primarily based on global kinetics. Although different physical pictures were assumed, the calculated burning rates of most of the models were very reasonable, compared to experimental data. Because of the agreement many authors have claimed their models to be correct. Other investigators have been more objective, and have used their models to evaluate more detailed combustion characteristics, such as σp, flame stand-off distances, etc. More recent models have been based on much more detailed kinetic mechanisms, and more detailed modeling of the condensed phase. One such model has recently been developed at BYU, building on the pioneering work of Melius, Yetter, and others. The model has been applied to RDX and HMX, comparing the modeling calculations with available experimental data. The agreement is very reasonable for burning rate, surface temperature, temperature sensitivity, temperature profile, major species profiles and many minor species profiles. Both experimental data and modeling calculations show a two stage flame when the combustion is augmented by an external heat flux. A single stage flame with no evidence of a dark zone is observed, and calculated, for normal combustion.