Kinetics and Species of Flash Pyrolysis of Cellulose Acetate Butyrate: The Binder of Lova

Abstract

AbstractThe principal binder of many LOVA propellants is cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB). By the use of T-Jump/FTIR spectroscopy, CAB was flash-pyrolyzed to set temperatures in the 465–600°C range, while rapid-scan IR spectra were used to identify the main decomposition products and to measure the rate of formation of each product as a function of temperature. Eleven specific products, which include oligomers of CAB, acids, aldehydes, ketenes, esters, CO2 and CO, were quantified by chemometric procedures. The ketenes are the most novel products. The Arrhenius parameters reveal that below 510 ± 20°C, the rate of product evolution is controlled mainly by condensed phase reactions. Above 510 ± 20°C, the rate of product evolution is controlled by desorption/evaporation of the volatile products.