Search Results (3)

Based on a pre-constructed simplified chemical reaction mechanism for afterburning in exhaust plumes, this study integrates a gas–solid two-phase combustion flow model with numerical radiative transfer calculations to systematically explore the optimization of computational domains for exhaust plume simulations and reveal the regulatory mechanisms of flight parameters affecting on plume evolution. The results demonstrate that as altitude increases, the plume expands overall, the afterburning zone shifts rearward, and the peak radiation brightness is delayed but with a slight enhancement. Conversely, increasing flight velocity leads to axial elongation and radial compression of the plume, reduced afterburning intensity, and an overall decrease in radiative intensity. This study establishes a correlation between solid rocket motor flight parameters and plume dynamics, providing theoretical and practical guidance for suppressing infrared signature signals in solid rocket motors and designing multifunctional propellant formulations. Full article

The laser extinction method (LEM) is particularly suitable for measuring particle sizes in flames because this method, which is based on the Beer–Lambert law, is non-intrusive and easy to implement. In the LEM, the interpretation of the extinction data is usually developed under the assumption that light extinction due to scattering is a result of the superposition of single scattering by individual particles; however, this could be violated for flames with dense concentrations of particles in which multiple scattering could occur. Quantifying the effect of multiple scattering under general conditions is still a formidable problem. In this work, we carried out a series of careful measurements of the laser extinction using standard particles of various known sizes, number densities and optical path lengths, all under the condition that the acceptance angle of the detector was limited to nearly zero. Combined with a four-flux model, we quantitatively analyzed the effect of multiple scattering on the size measurement using the LEM. The results show that the effect of multiple scattering could be ignored when the optical thickness is less than two under strict restrictions on the detector acceptance angle. Guided by this, the size distribution of an alumina (${\mathrm{Al}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_3$) particle sample was measured by the LEM with dual wavelengths. Parameterized distributions were solved with the help of graph plotting, and the results compared well with the measurement from the Malvern particle size analyzer. The same method was then used to measure the particle size distribution in the plume of a solid rocket motor (SRM). The use of an off-axis parabolic mirror in the experimental setup could suppress the jitter of light passing through the SRM plume, and the particle size in the plume of the measured SRM was in the order of microns. Full article

In recent decades, solid fuel combustion propulsion of spacecraft has become one of the most popular choices for rocket propulsion systems. The reasons for this success are a wide range of applications, lower production costs, simplicity, and safety. The rocket’s plumes leave the nozzle at high temperatures; hence, the knowledge of produced infrared (IR) emissions is a crucial aspect during the design and tests of the rocket motors. Furthermore, rocket plume composition is given by N₂, H₂, H₂O, CO and CO₂, while solid rocket motors (SRM) additionally inject some solid particles, given by metal fuel additives in the propellant grain, i.e., aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) particles. The main issue is the detection of the particles remaining in the atmosphere due to the exhaust gas of the solid rocket propulsion system that could have effects on ozone depletion. The experimental characterization of SRM plumes in the presence of alumina particles can be conducted using different optical techniques. The present study aims to review the most promising ones with a description of the optics system and their potential applications for SRM plume measurements. The most common measurement techniques are infrared spectroscopy imaging, IR imaging. UV–VIS measurements, shadowgraph, and Schlieren optical methods. The choice of these techniques among many others is due to the ability to study the plume without influencing the physical conditions existing in and around the study object. This paper presents technical results concerning the study of rocket engines plumes with the above-mentioned methods and reveals the feasibility of the measurement techniques applied. Full article