Determining energetic characteristics and selecting environmentally friendly components for solid rocket propellants at the early stages of design

Abstract

This paper has investigated the possibility to theoretically calculate a value of the specific impulse for highly energetic compositions using only two parameters – the heat of the reaction and the number of moles of gaseous decomposition reaction products. Specific impulse is one of the most important energetic characteristics of rocket propellant. It demonstrates the level of achieving the value of engine thrust and propellant utilization efficiency. Determining the specific impulse experimentally is a complex task that requires meeting special conditions. For the stage of synthesis of new promising components, the comparative analysis of energetic characteristics, forecasting the value of specific impulse, especially relevant are calculation methods. Most of these methods were first developed to determine the energetic characteristics of explosives. Since explosives and rocket propellants in many cases have similar energy content and similar chemical composition, some estimation methods can be used to assess the specific impulse of solid rocket propellant. The specific impulse has been calculated for 45 compositions based on environmentally friendly oxidizers (ammonium dinitramide, hydrazinium nitroformate, hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane) and polymer binders polybutadiene with terminal hydroxyl groups, glycidylazide polymer, poly-3-nitratomethyl-3-methyloxetane). It was established that the estimation data obtained correlate well with literary data. Deviation of the derived values of the specific impulse from those reported in the literature is from 0.4 % to 1.8 %. The calculation results could be used for preliminary forecasting of energetic characteristics for highly energetic compositions, selecting the most promising components, as well as their ratios.

Characterization of New Minimum Signature Solid Propellant Based on Ammonium Perchlorate Synergetic with Sorbitol and Magnesium Metal

“…The oxygen balance (𝛺) provides information on the types of gases that are liberated. The set of guidelines was used to help understand the issue in the breakdown of CaHbNcOdCle combustion products in relation to the oxygen balance of AP/Sorbitol solid propellant [16], [34]. The oxygen balance indicates the types of gases that are liberated.…”

“…In comparison, non-chlorinated strong oxidizing agents are used in the production of minimal signature propellants such as FOX-7, ADN, HNF, CL-20, HMX, and RDX. However, there are many obstacles and shortcomings to using these oxidizers, such as raw material availability, complex production processes, high cost of production, compatibility with others, and high sensitivity [16]- [17].…”

Evaluation of the results of the flight tests of the small research rocket K80 Meteo 7000 on the way to the creation of the Ukrainian family of suborbital launch vechicles

“…-a composition of the mixed solid propellant based on ammonium perchlorate with improves ecological parameters was developed and worked out [20]. In parallel, more environmentally friendly alternatives to ammonium perchlorate are looked for [21,22];…”