Experimental Investigation of the Interaction of Electrothermal Plasmas with Solid Propellants
Abstract
The work presented is part of continuing experimental study of the ignition of solid propellants by electrothermal capillary plasmas. Experiments have been made to characterize further the pulsed plasma expanding into room air and to investigate ignition of JA-2 propellant in a closed chamber. A particular emphasis is placed on discussing the difficulties in conducting diagnostics in this challenging environment. Heat flux measurements were made with a heat flux sensor along the axis of the plasma-jet. Measurements were made with and without a fused silica flat covering the sensor to enable the measurement of radiative and total heat flux, respectively. Radiative heat flux was found to be a substantial fraction of the total heat flux and the peak heating tended to occur well after the plasma luminosity had dissipated. Experiments employing planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of atomic copper showed that the very large background luminosity of the plasma greatly limits the quality of the measurements. The high luminosity has necessitated the use of two-cameras to enable single-shot background subtraction. Experiments in a closed chamber indicate that the propellant can be successfully ignited with the plasma, but it appears that the formation of fine particulates due to condensation of the plasma may significantly hinder the use of optical diagnostics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA447080
Entities
People
- Michael D. Ryan
- Noel T. Clemens
- Philip L. Varghese
Organizations
- University of Texas at Austin