Combustion Rate Processes in the Secondary Combustion of an Air-Augmented Solid Propellant: Spectroscopic Measurements. Part I

Spectroscopic measurements of the properties of the combustion products in a ramburner employing a boron-loaded propellant in the primary rocket are presented. The ramburner was designed to promote rapid mixing between the primary exhaust products and the secondary air, establishing nearly uniform combustion conditions across the duct. Variations of the properties of the secondary combustion products along the duct may be related to the global kinetics of the combustion reaction. The spectroscopic methods for the measurement of the gas and particle temperatures are discussed in the context of the observed flame emission spectra and the measured optical properties of the combustion products. Results of the study indicate that photometric measurements of gas temperatures, made just upstream of the exhaust nozzle of the ramburner, agree within 10% with bulk temperatures determined from experimental measurements of characteristic velocity. The corresponding photometric measurements of condensed phase temperatures were about 15% less than the bulk temperatures. (Author) See also AD-716 330.