A tabulated chemistry method for heterogeneous solid propellant combustion

Abstract

Detailed chemistry simulations of heterogeneous solid propellant combustion at the microstructure scale are very costly as they involve large and stiff chemical schemes in the gas phase. A usual workaround is to use global chemistry to approximate gas phase reactions. A drawback of this approach is the need for an a priori calibration which necessitates reference data and often limits the operating conditions range of validity. An alternative method based on 1-D burner-stabilized flames tabulation is proposed in this paper. The theoretical and numerical frameworks are detailed. An appropriate tabulation space is introduced to store useful thermochemical variables as well as Jacobian terms used for time-integration. Jump conditions are also rewritten to cope with tabulated chemistry formalism. Several 1-D validations are performed on classical propellant compositions. Detailed comparisons with available experimental data demonstrate the ability of the proposed methodology to tackle inner flame structure (temperature and species) as well as the evolution of the burning rate with pressure and composition. Finally, 2-D laminate propellant simulations are conducted showing the ability of the methodology to capture complex flame regimes and associated burning rate modifications.