The rate of heat release of ammonium perchlorate-fuel and ammonium perchlorate-catalyst mixtures under adiabatic conditions was studied as a function of temperature. In the presence of catalysts, the autocatalytic feature associated with nucleation of pure ammonium perchlorate disappears and the adiabatic reaction kinetics follow Arrhenius-type behaviour. Studies made with ammonium perchlorate-fuel show that measurable heat release occurs at temperatures below the phase transition temperature of ammonium perchlorate and that the rate of heat generation per mass of material is greater than that of pure ammonium perchlorate. The rate of exothermic decomposition of pure ammonium perchlorate is unaffected by an increase in pressure. This observation suggests that the heat release is controlled by homogeneous or heterogeneous reactions in the condensed phase.
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