Combustion Processes in Granular Beds of Solid Propellants
Abstract
The combustion of granular solid propellants in a mobile bed involves many intricate physicochemical processes, such as heat transfer between gases and solid particles, flow of gas-particle mixtures, heat release resulting from the burning of granular propellants, expansion of the combustion chamber, and fluidization of the granular bed. The main features of these physical processes were simulated by the mobile granular bed combustion (MGBC) model, which requires a number of empirical correlations as input information. These correlations include: intragranular stress and particle wall friction laws, flow resistance laws for fixed and fluidized beds, convective heat-transfer correlations for both fixed and fluidized regions, and burning rate laws. Numerical computations were conducted using most realistic correlations available in the literature. Theoretical results have been compared with experimental data for both live and inert propellant grains. In the live propellant case, tests were performed in a simulated 30 caliber system. In the inert propellant case, the particle displacement, porosity distributions and pressure-time traces were obtained through the use of a transparent combustion chamber with a high-speed motion picture system and a set of high-frequency pressure transducers. The close agreement between theoretical and experimental results showed good predictability of the MGBC model.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA099904
Entities
People
- Kenneth K. Kuo
Organizations
- Pennsylvania State University