Theoretical study on combustion of non-spherical particles in nano-aluminized propellant in air**Foundation Item: Science & Department of Heibei Province (No. 16211013D), Handan Science & Technology Development Bureau (No. 1511103015).

Abstract

To investigate the deflagration phenomenon of an aluminized solid propellant during the combustion process, an improved theoretical combustion model has been developed. The model uses non-spherical particles for predicting the instantaneous mass evaporation rates of droplets as well as the burning time. The burning behavior of individual prolate and oblate spheroidal droplets, including the surface-area ratio, Nusselt numbers, temperature, and size change rate, was theoretically analyzed to elucidate the effect of non-spherical grains on the burning stability. Models for the Al evaporation rates and burnout time of both prolate and oblate spheroids in the diffusion-kinetics controlled regimes were established. According to the results, the particle morphology, size, and Reynolds numbers significantly affect the burning characteristics of nano-aluminized propellants. The proposed model is useful for steady-state combustion-performance assessment of aluminized solid propellants.