Parametric Sensitivity Study of a Numerical Model for Flame Spreading

Abstract

A sensitivity study is performed to identify critical input assumptions in a numerical model for flame spreading. This model is applied to predict flame spreading phenomena in a bed of small arms ball propellant. The numerical results are compared with experimental pressure measurements taken in 5.85 and 10.84 cm long venting chambers. The predicted flame spreading rate is approximately three times slower than is indicated in the experiments. The sensitivity calculations identify the relative importance of assumptions about the average particle size, ignition criteria, drag correlation, heat transfer correlation, compaction distance, porosity distribution, and burning rate. The compaction distance and initial porosity distribution are identified as important parameters in this model. It appears that a two-phase flow model is required for more realistic flame spreading simulations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1975
Accession Number
ADA018135

Entities

People

  • Clarence Jr W. Kitchens

Organizations

  • Ballistic Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ball Powder Propellants
  • Burning Rate
  • Combustion
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computer Programs
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Equations
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Gas Flow
  • Heat Transfer
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Particle Size
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Reynolds Number
  • Surface Temperature

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Combustion science or combustion engineering.
  • Regression Analysis.
  • Wave Propagation and Nonlinear Chaotic Dynamics.