Gas Phase Ignition Theory of a Heterogeneous Solid Propellant Exposed to a Hot Oxidizing Gas

Abstract

Abstract In previous gas phase ignition theories applicable to homogeneous solid propellants, attempts were made to correlate the theoretical predictions with experimental ignition data on composite solid propellants. But, agreement between such theories and experiment can be expected only when the oxidizer particle size is very small. A deviation between theory and experiments can be expected as the oxidizer particle size becomes larger and larger, consequently increasing the heterogeneity of the propellant. The model presently considered includes radial diffusion of species and energy, and results in good agreement between the theory and experiments (McAlevy, et al., 1960) even with weak temperature and low emission criteria. For strong ignition criteria the model predicts the same ignition behaviour as the previous gas phase models for homogeneous propellants.