Shock-Tube Measurements of Carbon Monoxide During Combustion of Hydroxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene Products/Air

Abstract

Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) is a fuel proposed for use in hypersonic rockets, specifically in solid fuel ramjets (SFRJs), where it combines with air and undergoes combustion processes that range from fuel pyrolysis to fuel lean- combustion. A better understanding and the improvement of SFRJ combustion can be accomplished through fundamental experiments and computational fluid dynamics modeling. The current chemical-kinetic models need data to capture the reaction kinetics at the conditions under which SFRJs operate. This work focuses on providing combustion data to assess the predictive capabilities of state-of-the-art mechanisms at conditions relevant to SFRJs. The University of Central Florida shock-tube facility was used to conduct experiments of various combinations of HTPB products in air near 5 atm for temperatures ranging from 1100 to 1800 K and [Formula: see text], 1.0, 4.76. Nonintrusive, time-resolved laser absorption spectroscopy was used to record carbon-monoxide-concentration time histories and compared against the predictions of AramcoMech3.0 and HyChem mechanisms. For each mixture, the mid- and high-temperature conditions matched the models well, whereas there was a significant discrepancy for the low-temperature condition. A sensitivity analysis was then conducted to determine which reactions warranted further investigation to address the discrepancy at low temperatures.