A joint international effort to improve solid propellant performance within the framework of a FP7European Project was described.Several metallized solid rocket propellants,of the broad family AP/HTPB/Metal in the rat...A joint international effort to improve solid propellant performance within the framework of a FP7European Project was described.Several metallized solid rocket propellants,of the broad family AP/HTPB/Metal in the ratio 68/14/18,were experimentally analyzed seeking to optimize the delivered specific impulse by identifying the most suitable high-energy fuel.Keeping the same nominal composition,different metallic fuels(including micrometric and nanometric Al,AlH3,and a variety of dual metal compositions)were characterized,tested,and contrasted to a conventional micrometric aluminum(30μm average grain size)certified for space flights.In order to overcome the intrinsic performance limitations of the matrix AP/HTPB,a new matrix consisting of ADN/GAP satisfying also the need for environmentally benign propellant formulation was considered as well.A comparative analysis between the two solid propellant systems in terms of ideal thermochemistry and experimental combustion properties reveals advantages and disadvantages of both.Overall,it is judged worthwhile to develop ADN/GAP propellants,with or without metallic fuels,to enhance the current status of solid rocket propulsion.Controlling morphology and mechanical properties of ADN/GAP compositions and understanding their flame structure and aggregation/agglomeration properties are the main issues still challenging industrial users.展开更多
Several metallized solid rocket propellants,AP/Metal/HTPB in the ratio 68/18/14,were experimentally analyzed at the Space Propulsion Laboratory of Politecnico di Milano.Effects of the metals(micrometric and nanometric...Several metallized solid rocket propellants,AP/Metal/HTPB in the ratio 68/18/14,were experimentally analyzed at the Space Propulsion Laboratory of Politecnico di Milano.Effects of the metals(micrometric and nanometric Al,B,Mg,and a variety of dual metals) on the performance of the propellant were studied and contrasted to a conventional micrometric aluminum(30 μm average grain size) taken as reference.It is shown that the propellant microstructure plays a fundamental role in controlling the critical aggregation/agglomeration phenomena occurring below and near the burning surface.Two specific effects of microstructure in terms of steady burning rate and average agglomerate size are illustrated.展开更多
Particle size and content of RDX are the two main factors that affect the burning stability of RDX-based propellants. However, these effects and the corresponding mechanisms are still controversial. In this work, we i...Particle size and content of RDX are the two main factors that affect the burning stability of RDX-based propellants. However, these effects and the corresponding mechanisms are still controversial. In this work, we investigated the physicochemical processes during burning and the corresponding mechanisms through the technologies of structure compactness analysis on the base of voidage measurement and theoretical interfacial area estimation, apparent burning rate measurement using closed vessel(CV)and extinguished burning surface characterization relying on interrupted closed vessel(ICV) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). The results indicate that the voidage increased with the increase of RDX content and particle size due to the increasing interfacial area and increasing interface gap size,respectively. The apparent burning rate increased with the increase of RDX particle size because of the decreasing RDX specific surface area on the burning surface, which could decrease the heat absorbing rates of the melting and evaporation processes of RDX in the condensed phase. Similarly, the apparent burning rate decreased with the increase of RDX content at pressures lower than around 55 MPa due to the increasing RDX specific surface area. Whereas, an opposite trend could be observed at pressures higher than around 55 MPa, which was attributed to the increasing heat feedback from the gas phase as the result of the increasing propellant energy. For propellants containing very coarse RDX particles, such as 97.8 and 199.4 μm average size, the apparent burning rate increased stably with a flat extinguished surface at pressures lower than around 30 MPa, while increased sharply above around 30 MPa with the extinguished surface becoming more and more rugged as the pressure increased. In addition, the turning degree of u-p curve increased with the increase of coarse RDX content and particle size, and could be reduced by improving the structure compactness.展开更多
Electrically controlled solid propellant(ECSP)offers multiple ignition and adjustable burning rate,serving as fuel for next-generation intelligent propulsion systems.To further enhance the combustion performance of EC...Electrically controlled solid propellant(ECSP)offers multiple ignition and adjustable burning rate,serving as fuel for next-generation intelligent propulsion systems.To further enhance the combustion performance of ECSP,a method utilizing electrochemical and thermal decomposition catalysts has been proposed.In this work,we investigated the combustion characteristics of hydroxylamine nitrate(HAN)-based ECSP incorporating cerium oxide(CeO_(2))and graphene oxide(GO)by using an electrically controlled combustion test system.Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)and linear sweep voltammetry(LSV)were used to measure the electrical conductibility and overpotential of ECSP with various additives,and Tafel curves were calculated.Thermogravimetric analysis coupled with differential scanning calorimetry(TG-DSC)was employed to investigate the thermal decomposition behavior of ECSP.While the addition of CeO_(2) and GO reduced the conductivity of ECSP,both catalysts exhibited strong electrocatalytic properties and facilitated the thermal decomposition of ECSP.Between two catalysts,GO demonstrated superior electrochemical catalytic performance but weaker thermal decomposition catalytic ability than CeO_(2).The addition of catalysts significantly enhanced the combustion performance of HAN-based ECSP.Specifically,the ignition delay time was shortened by 10%~20%.CeO_(2) raised the burning rate by approximately 20%but GO exhibited a remarkable boost of 40%in burning rate at high voltage.The combination of GO and PVA produced a flame-retardant substance that negatively impacted the ignition delay of ECSP and resulted in a smaller increase in the burning rate of ECSP at low ignition voltages.展开更多
基金supported by the HISP project(High performance solid propellants for In-Space Propulsion)of the European Community′s Seventh Framework Programme(FP7/2007-2013), under Grant Agreement No.262099,coordinated by FOI
文摘A joint international effort to improve solid propellant performance within the framework of a FP7European Project was described.Several metallized solid rocket propellants,of the broad family AP/HTPB/Metal in the ratio 68/14/18,were experimentally analyzed seeking to optimize the delivered specific impulse by identifying the most suitable high-energy fuel.Keeping the same nominal composition,different metallic fuels(including micrometric and nanometric Al,AlH3,and a variety of dual metal compositions)were characterized,tested,and contrasted to a conventional micrometric aluminum(30μm average grain size)certified for space flights.In order to overcome the intrinsic performance limitations of the matrix AP/HTPB,a new matrix consisting of ADN/GAP satisfying also the need for environmentally benign propellant formulation was considered as well.A comparative analysis between the two solid propellant systems in terms of ideal thermochemistry and experimental combustion properties reveals advantages and disadvantages of both.Overall,it is judged worthwhile to develop ADN/GAP propellants,with or without metallic fuels,to enhance the current status of solid rocket propulsion.Controlling morphology and mechanical properties of ADN/GAP compositions and understanding their flame structure and aggregation/agglomeration properties are the main issues still challenging industrial users.
基金supported by CNES(under Commande No.4700024752/DLA090 and No.4700028003/DLA094)
文摘Several metallized solid rocket propellants,AP/Metal/HTPB in the ratio 68/18/14,were experimentally analyzed at the Space Propulsion Laboratory of Politecnico di Milano.Effects of the metals(micrometric and nanometric Al,B,Mg,and a variety of dual metals) on the performance of the propellant were studied and contrasted to a conventional micrometric aluminum(30 μm average grain size) taken as reference.It is shown that the propellant microstructure plays a fundamental role in controlling the critical aggregation/agglomeration phenomena occurring below and near the burning surface.Two specific effects of microstructure in terms of steady burning rate and average agglomerate size are illustrated.
基金the support of Key Laboratory of Special Energy Materials,Ministry of Education,Nanjing,210094,China.
文摘Particle size and content of RDX are the two main factors that affect the burning stability of RDX-based propellants. However, these effects and the corresponding mechanisms are still controversial. In this work, we investigated the physicochemical processes during burning and the corresponding mechanisms through the technologies of structure compactness analysis on the base of voidage measurement and theoretical interfacial area estimation, apparent burning rate measurement using closed vessel(CV)and extinguished burning surface characterization relying on interrupted closed vessel(ICV) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). The results indicate that the voidage increased with the increase of RDX content and particle size due to the increasing interfacial area and increasing interface gap size,respectively. The apparent burning rate increased with the increase of RDX particle size because of the decreasing RDX specific surface area on the burning surface, which could decrease the heat absorbing rates of the melting and evaporation processes of RDX in the condensed phase. Similarly, the apparent burning rate decreased with the increase of RDX content at pressures lower than around 55 MPa due to the increasing RDX specific surface area. Whereas, an opposite trend could be observed at pressures higher than around 55 MPa, which was attributed to the increasing heat feedback from the gas phase as the result of the increasing propellant energy. For propellants containing very coarse RDX particles, such as 97.8 and 199.4 μm average size, the apparent burning rate increased stably with a flat extinguished surface at pressures lower than around 30 MPa, while increased sharply above around 30 MPa with the extinguished surface becoming more and more rugged as the pressure increased. In addition, the turning degree of u-p curve increased with the increase of coarse RDX content and particle size, and could be reduced by improving the structure compactness.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.12074187).
文摘Electrically controlled solid propellant(ECSP)offers multiple ignition and adjustable burning rate,serving as fuel for next-generation intelligent propulsion systems.To further enhance the combustion performance of ECSP,a method utilizing electrochemical and thermal decomposition catalysts has been proposed.In this work,we investigated the combustion characteristics of hydroxylamine nitrate(HAN)-based ECSP incorporating cerium oxide(CeO_(2))and graphene oxide(GO)by using an electrically controlled combustion test system.Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)and linear sweep voltammetry(LSV)were used to measure the electrical conductibility and overpotential of ECSP with various additives,and Tafel curves were calculated.Thermogravimetric analysis coupled with differential scanning calorimetry(TG-DSC)was employed to investigate the thermal decomposition behavior of ECSP.While the addition of CeO_(2) and GO reduced the conductivity of ECSP,both catalysts exhibited strong electrocatalytic properties and facilitated the thermal decomposition of ECSP.Between two catalysts,GO demonstrated superior electrochemical catalytic performance but weaker thermal decomposition catalytic ability than CeO_(2).The addition of catalysts significantly enhanced the combustion performance of HAN-based ECSP.Specifically,the ignition delay time was shortened by 10%~20%.CeO_(2) raised the burning rate by approximately 20%but GO exhibited a remarkable boost of 40%in burning rate at high voltage.The combination of GO and PVA produced a flame-retardant substance that negatively impacted the ignition delay of ECSP and resulted in a smaller increase in the burning rate of ECSP at low ignition voltages.
