Afterburn suppression

Miller, E., and S. Mitson. 1985. The suppression of afterburning in solid rocket plumes by potassium salts. AlAA Paper No. 85-1253. 

Fig. 12.11 shows the structure of a rocket plume generated downstream of a rocket nozzle. The plume consists of a primary flame and a secondary flame.Fil The primary flame is generated by the exhaust combustion gas from the rocket motor without any effect of the ambient atmosphere. The primary flame is composed of oblique shock waves and expansion waves as a result of interaction with the ambient pressure. The structure is dependent on the expansion ratio of the nozzle, as described in Appendix C. Therefore, no diffusional mixing with ambient air occurs in the primary flame. The secondary flame is generated by mixing of the exhaust gas from the nozzle with the ambient air. The dimensions of the secondary flame are dependent not only on the combustion gas expelled from the exhaust nozzle, but also on the expansion ratio of the nozzle. A nitropolymer propellant composed of nc(0-466), ng(0-369), dep(0104), ec(0 029), and pbst(0.032) is used as a reference propellant to determine the effect of plume suppression. The burning rate characteristics of the propellants are shown in Fig. 6-31. Since the nitropolymer propellant is fuel-rich, the exhaust gas forms a combustible gaseous mixture with the ambient air. This gaseous mixture is ignited and afterburning occurs somewhat downstream of the nozzle exit. The major combustion products in the combustion chamber are CO, Hj, CO2, N2, and HjO. The fuel components are CO and H2, the mole fractions of which at the nozzle throat are co(0.47) and iH2(0.24).

Fig. 12.17 shows a typical set of afterburning flame photographs obtained when a nitropolymer propellant without a plume suppressant is burned in a combustion chamber and the combustion products are expelled through an exhaust nozzle into the ambient air. The physical shape of the luminous flame is altered significantly by variation of the expansion ratio of the nozzle. The temperature of the combustion products at the nozzle exit decreases and the flow velocity at the nozzle exit increases with increasing e at constant chamber pressure. 

To suppress afterburn and minimize energy losses caused by in-leakage of cold ambient air, any holes in the heater walls, convective section, ducts, etc. should be patched. Also make sure that inspection ports are closed. Leaks can be detected on stream to a certain extent by visual inspection (crumbling chalk dust or dropping a little baking powder past a suspected leak will pinpoint the leak). 

Jensen Webb (Ref 43) examined the data predicting the extent of afterburning in fuel-rich exhausts of metal-modified double-base proplnt rocket motors so as to determine the amt of an individual metal which is required to suppress this afterburning. The investigatory means they used consisted of a series of computer codes. First, an equilibrium chemistry code to calculate conditions at the nozzle throat then a nonequilibrium code to derive nozzle plane exit compn, temp and velocity and, finally, a plume prediction code which incorporates fully coupled turbulent kinetic energy boundary-layer and nonequilibrium chemical reaction mechanisms. Used for all the code calcns were the theoretical environment of a static 300 N (67-lb) thrust std research motor operating at a chamber press of S.SMNm 2 (500psi), with expansion thru a conical nozzle to atm press and a mass flow rate... 

When the Halon density was not sufficient to suppress the explosion, there was agent breakdown evidenced by the observation of orange-yellow smoke and severe afterburning. 

In 1944, Socony-Vacuum Oil Company started manufacture of synthetic silica-alumina catalyst in the form of beads (262). This catalyst was reported to contain about 10% alumina. The bead catalyst gives about the same product distribution as the pelleted synthetic catalyst and was developed primarily to achieve greater physical strength for use in the TCC process. The bead catalyst has also been used in Houdry fixed-bed units (51,171). Subsequently, a harder bead catalyst was developed for use in the air-lift units. The improved bead catalyst consists of approximately 15% alumina and 85% silica and contains 0.003% chromium to minimize afterburning by suppressing formation of carbon monoxide during regeneration (333). 

To suppress afterburn and minimize energy losses caused by leakage of cold ambient air into the convective section, holes in the convection section exterior should be patched. 

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