Performance Analysis of a Dual-Fuel Sugar Based Solid Rocket Propellant

Abstract

The effects of dual-fuel on improving the ballistic efficiency of a low energy sugar-based solid rocket propellant were investigated in this paper. This was achieved by establishing a threshold proportion of sucrose to sorbitol that provided the highest ballistic efficiency, using a beam load cell (model single-point 2,000 kg linearly defined by 0-20 kN force, with ±.005 percent precision). Seven different propellant formulations were prepared, loaded into the rocket motor and tested for performance. The major performance parameters of interest were the thrust, total impulse, burn time, delivered specific impulse, delivered characteristic velocity, and the chamber pressure. The formulations tested were potassium nitrate–sucrose propellant (65% KNO3 and 35% sucrose (C12H22O11)) (KNSU); potassium nitrate-sorbitol propellant (65% KNO3 and 35% sorbitol (C6H14O6)) (KNSB); modified potassium nitrate-sucrose propellant (65% KNO3, 32% sucrose (C12H22O11)), and 3% carbon (C) (MODKNSU); potassium nitrate-sucrose-sorbitol propellant (65% KNO3, 25% sucrose (C12H22O11)), and 10% sorbitol (C6H14O6) (KNERK); potassium nitrate-sucrose-sorbitol-carbon propellant (65% KNO3, 24% sucrose (C12H22O11), 10% sorbitol (C6H14O6), and 1% carbon (C)) (MODKNERK); and finally a propellant made from KNO3, sucrose (C12H22O11), sorbitol (C6H14O6), carbon (C) and iron II oxide(Fe2O3) combinations in 65, 30, 3, 1, 1% proportion respectively. The novel result obtained from these experiments was applied to boost the performance of a KNSB rocket propellant motor during a rocket launch experiment. Both static and dynamic rocket motor internal ballistic parameters were then compared. The measured delivered motor average thrust and the effective propellant burn times were recorded as: (164.15N, 3.97s); (102.95N, 6.53s); (65.66N, 9.38s); (79.09N, 3.77s); (243.98N, 3.77s) and (92.6N, 5.89s) respectively. The MODKNERK, was established to produce a most efficient motor and with the full delivery of its ballistic energy. It was also established, that the ballistic and rocket motor efficiency of a lower energy rocket motor can be improved by starting the ignition of such motor with fast burning dual-fuel rocket propellant (MODKNERK).