The measured ignition overpressure (IOP) generated in Minuteman silos during launches from "deep" 90-ft silos is as much as 50% larger than that from "shallow" 80-ft silos. To explain this phenomenon, five analyses have been conducted and are described in this paper: (1) a one-dimensional linear wave analysis exposes the physical cause for the wave and correctly approximates its timing and magnitude and near-independence of motor chamber pressure rise rate, (2) a one-dimensional Euler analysis predicts more accurately the timing and magnitude of the wave due to its allowance for nonquiescent nonlinear flow, and (3) two-dimensional analyses using three different Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes reveal the details of the vortical mixing and reacting flow in the bottom of the silo. All the analyses predict that in the absence of exhaust afterburning, deepening the silo delays the time at which the peak IOP occurs, but does not change the magnitude of the predicted peak IOP; hence, no enhancement is predicted for deep silos. However, when afterburning of the fuel-rich rocket exhaust with the ambient silo air is accounted for, the predicted peak IOP increases significantly; this increase is nearly twice as large in the deep silo as in the shallow silo due to the nearly doubled amount of available air and extent for mixing of this air with the propellant gas. The CFD simulations describe for the first time the physical details of this afterburning phenomenon. SILO STATION -IN. -0 = ----238 512 805 / 967.00 (Shallow) \1085.75 (Deep) > Senior Scientist. Senior member AIAA.
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