Modelling of Diffusion Process in Vacuum Drying of Propellants

Abstract

One crucial step in the propellant-making process that takes a lot of time and energy is drying. The study of inert propellants' vacuum drying behaviours – which mimics those of real propellants – is the main focus of this work. This study presents the development of analytical and numerical models for the vacuum drying of inert pro-pellants, which were validated through an in-house vacuum drying experiment. The calculation of effective diffusivity, a crucial parameter characterising the rate of solvent vapour transfer during the vacuum drying of inert propellant samples, is one of the outcomes of this work. It involves removing liquid solvents from the texture of a propellant. Conclusions and suggestions for technical practice are developed based on the studyʼs findings.