Factors in Condensate Product Particle Size During Aluminized Propellant Combustion

Abstract

The addition of aluminum to propellants positively affects their energy density but also causes problems such as two-phase flow loss, nozzle contamination, wake heat radiation, and condensate particle deposition in the combustion chamber. This paper concentrates on the agglomeration process of aluminum particles and factors in condensed product size during aluminized propellant combustion. The condensed products are divided according to the combustion stage into initial condensed products on the burning surface and final condensed products in the gas stream. The differences in combustion behaviors and size distributions between initial and final condensed products are analyzed in detail. Then, the influence of aluminum content and initial aluminum particle size on the size distribution of the condensed products is studied. It is found that both the initial and final condensed products increase with increasing aluminum content and initial aluminum particle size. A modified Jackson model is presented to estimate the particle size of the propellants’ condensed products. The findings in this paper provide methods for reducing the condensate products of aluminized propellants and provide a basis for applying these propellants and improving their formulation.