Three-dimensional flames supported by heterogeneous propellants

We examine a surface which mimics that of a heterogeneous propellant and through which passes distributed fluxes of oxidizer and fuel. The three-dimensional flames supported by these fluxes we calculated using a simple model. An elementary propellant packing model defines a variety of flux distributions according to the level of the slice through the propellant which defines the surface, and the effect of the different distributions on the combustion field and on the heat flux to the surface is discussed. An important geometric effect is identified. The more likely that arbitrary surface area fractions contain both ammonium perchlorate (AI) and binder fluxes, the greater will be the total heat flux to the surface from the AP/binder flames. The likelihood, and therefore the heat flux, is maximized for fuel-rich slices. This work is part of an ongoing study whose goal is a sophisticated numerical model of three-dimensional heterogeneous propellant burning.