AE8129 Rocket Propulsion

PROBLEM #18

A solid rocket motor employing a double-base solid propellant has the following characteristics:

propellant grain solid density, s = 1630 kg/m3 ; solid specific heat Cs = 1300 J/kg-K
net surface heat release Hs = 0 J/kg ; Ts = 760 K ; fuel surface roughness = 0 m ;
ambient temperature Ti = 288 K ; pressure-dep. burning rate = 2 cm/s at 15 MPa

Specific gas constant R = 361 J/kg-K ; TF = 2300 K ; gas Cp = 1600 J/kg-K

gas Prandtl number 0.7 ; gas thermal conductivity 0.2 W/m-K

For a flow static pressure of 15.0 MPa at an axial mass flux of 1600 kg/s-m2, find the propellant=s burning
rate using the Greatrix model for positive and negative erosive burning that applies at lower flow speeds.
You may assume the core gas temperature is roughly the flame temperature. Note that the propellant grain
section=s hydraulic diameter is 1 cm. To aid in your negative erosive burning calculations (i.e., make the
iterative mathematics a bit less tedious), you may assume that the graph of Fig. 10.12 in the course
textbook applies to your case. In the undertaking of the solution process, this additional information from
Fig. 10.12 also allows you to quickly double-check on the efficacy of the equations being used.

Burning Augmentation

1.5

1.0

Theory
Expt.

0.5
0

2000

4000

6000
2

Mass Flux, kg/m -s

Fig.10.12Theoreticalandexperimental(Godonetal(1987))10dataforburningrate
augmentationasafunctionofmassflux,doublebasepropellantA
(Greatrix(2007)).9

PROBLEM #18 (for book) Solution

Looking at a solid rocket propellants burning rate under pressure and core flow, including
negative erosive burning. Refer to Fig. 10.12 to help with the solution process, and confirm that
the equations are producing the correct numbers.
D = dp = 0.01 m , G = 1600 kg/s-m2, ro = 0.02 m/s
From Fig. 10.12, at that value for G, rb/ro is approximately 0.86 or so, hence rb .0.0172 m/s .

p
15.0 10 6

18.07
RT F 361( 2300 )

k Pr 0.2( 0.7 )
-5

8.75 H 10 kg/m-s
Cp
1600

kg/m3 ; u

1600
88.55
18.07

m/s

Now, lets consider the Greatrix erosive burning model at low flow speeds:
rb

rb
ro

ro re

rb
ro

ro

h( T F TS )

s C s ( TS Ti ) s H S

ud 18.07( 88.55 )0.01

= 182.9H103 ;

8.75 10 5

Re d

1
( f *)1 / 2

2 log 10 [

2.51
( f *)1 / 2 Re d

/d
3.7

g = 0.0H10-6 m

] 2 log 10 [

1.372 10 5
( f *) 0.5

0]

f * . 0.0159 via iteration.

Under transpiration, where flim is assumed to be 2.5 H 10-4 :
f 8

s rb
G

/( exp[

8 s rb
1630( 0.0172 )
8( 1630 )0.0172
] 1) 8
/( exp[
] 1 ) =2.08
G f *
1600
1600( 0.0159 )

H 10-5 < flim

Reference combustion zone thickness at ro :

C p ( TF TS )
k
] =6.19 H 10-6 m
n [ 1
C s ( TS Ti ) H s
s ro C p

So for the effect of the stretching of the combustion zone at low flow speed, one arrives at:
rb
ro

cos[ tan 1 (

u eff
vf

)] cos[ tan 1 ( K o [1 ( f / f lim )1 / 2 ]

u
)] ,f<flim
s ro

rb
ro

cos[ tan 1 ( 2600( 6.19 10 6 )[ 1 ( 2.08 10 5 / 2.5 10 4 )1 / 2 ]

1600
)] =0.872
1630( 0.02 )

Now, for the positive erosive burning component:

h*

f
0.2
0.0159
k
182.9 10 3 ( 0.7 0.333 )
Re d Pr 1 / 3
= 6455 W/m2@K ; so, finally,
8 0.01
8
d

h
exp(

re

s rb C p
s rb C p
h*

) 1

1630( 0.0172 )1600

1630( 0.0172 )1600

exp(
) 1
6455

h( 2300 760 )
6.64 H
1630( 1300 )( 760 288 ) 0

43.08 W/m2-K, so that

10-5 m/s

Summarizing then, one estimates that:

rb

rb
ro

ro re 0.872( 0.02 ) 6.64 10 5 0.0175 m/s

which is not too far from the initial estimate (around 0.0172 m/s) that one can obtain via perusal
of Fig. 10.12 of the book.