Combustion of porous energetic materials in the merged-flame regime

摘要

The structure and burning rate of an unconfined deflagration propagating through a porous energetic material is analyzed in the limit of merged condensed and gas-phase reaction zones. A global two-step reaction mechanism, applicable to certain types of degraded nitramine propellants and consisting of sequential condensed and gaseous steps, is postulated. Taking into account important effects due to multiphase flow and exploiting the limit of large activation energies, a theoretical analysis based on activation energy asymptotics leads to explicit formulas for the deflagration velocity in a specifically identified regime that is consistent with the merged-flame assumption. The results clearly indicate the influences of two-phase flow and the multiphase, multi-step chemistry on the deflagration structure and the burning rate, and define conditions that support the intrusion of the primary gas flame into the two-phase condensed decomposition region at the propellant surface.