Magnetic field control of burning rate and thrust in solid rocket motors

Abstract

A model is developed for a flow of ionized gaseous combustion products in a channel with conducting walls. The channel is exposed to an external uniform magnetic field oriented so that the direction of the induced ponderomotive force is opposite to the flow direction. This decreases the gas flow velocity and increases the static pressure. For condensed systems, wherein the mass burning rate is proportional to external pressure and burning surface temperature, the pressure rise leads to the increased rate of combustion product generation. The determining parameters are revealed by means of numerical analysis. The influence of these parameters on the combustion process in a rectangular channel is established. It is shown that a more than tenfold increase in burning rate is possible at moderate values of the parameter of magnetogasody namic interaction. The theoretical background of the magnetic field control over the flow direction of combustion products is discussed. The essence of the method is in a certain orientation of the external magnetic field with respect to the flow of a conducting medium, which induces the ponderomotive force whose deviating component changes the direction of the flow of combustion products in channels of various configurations. The degree of deviation of a threedimensional gas flow in an axisymmetric de Laval nozzle exposed to a one-dimensional uniform magnetic field is considered.