Investigation of flame morphology and thermal characteristics of NEPE solid propellant combustion in an open air environment

During operations, there is a potential risk of solid propellant being dropped, which could cause fire accidents and a severe thermal environment. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the combustion properties of solid propellant in open environments. In this research, a large outdoor experimen...

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Main Authors: Yuan Ma, Guangmei Shi, Yupeng Hu, Minghai Li, Yanhong Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25008135
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author Yuan Ma
Guangmei Shi
Yupeng Hu
Minghai Li
Yanhong Zhang
author_facet Yuan Ma
Guangmei Shi
Yupeng Hu
Minghai Li
Yanhong Zhang
author_sort Yuan Ma
collection DOAJ
description During operations, there is a potential risk of solid propellant being dropped, which could cause fire accidents and a severe thermal environment. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the combustion properties of solid propellant in open environments. In this research, a large outdoor experimental platform for solid propellant combustion is established. The flame morphology and thermal characteristics of NEPE propellants of various sizes are studied both experimentally and theoretically. The impacts of flame thickness on temperature measurement errors of bare thermocouples are meticulously analyzed, and the radiant heat flow is estimated. The results indicate that the average burning rates of samples sized Φ66mm × 250 mm (#1), Φ160mm × 190 mm (#2), and Φ104mm × 400 mm (#3) are 0.8, 0.73, and 0.94 mm/s, respectively. The corresponding flame widths reach 24, 52, and 32 cm, while the flame heights are less than 1.5 m. Moreover, the highest flame temperatures measure 2743, 2661, and 2904 K, respectively. To keep the temperature error rate of bare thermocouples below 10 %, the flame thickness should exceed 0.4 m. To limit the error to within 20 %, a minimum flame thickness of 0.2 m is required. The maximum radiant heat fluxes of #1, #2 and #3 are up to 959, 1298, and 1499 kW/m2, respectively.
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spelling doaj-art-7a4bcacd66e548f18d5d97fdde0fcdca2025-08-20T03:24:03ZengElsevierCase Studies in Thermal Engineering2214-157X2025-09-017310655310.1016/j.csite.2025.106553Investigation of flame morphology and thermal characteristics of NEPE solid propellant combustion in an open air environmentYuan Ma0Guangmei Shi1Yupeng Hu2Minghai Li3Yanhong Zhang4Institute of Systems Engineering, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621999, ChinaInstitute of Systems Engineering, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621999, ChinaInstitute of Systems Engineering, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621999, ChinaCorresponding author.; Institute of Systems Engineering, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621999, ChinaInstitute of Systems Engineering, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621999, ChinaDuring operations, there is a potential risk of solid propellant being dropped, which could cause fire accidents and a severe thermal environment. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the combustion properties of solid propellant in open environments. In this research, a large outdoor experimental platform for solid propellant combustion is established. The flame morphology and thermal characteristics of NEPE propellants of various sizes are studied both experimentally and theoretically. The impacts of flame thickness on temperature measurement errors of bare thermocouples are meticulously analyzed, and the radiant heat flow is estimated. The results indicate that the average burning rates of samples sized Φ66mm × 250 mm (#1), Φ160mm × 190 mm (#2), and Φ104mm × 400 mm (#3) are 0.8, 0.73, and 0.94 mm/s, respectively. The corresponding flame widths reach 24, 52, and 32 cm, while the flame heights are less than 1.5 m. Moreover, the highest flame temperatures measure 2743, 2661, and 2904 K, respectively. To keep the temperature error rate of bare thermocouples below 10 %, the flame thickness should exceed 0.4 m. To limit the error to within 20 %, a minimum flame thickness of 0.2 m is required. The maximum radiant heat fluxes of #1, #2 and #3 are up to 959, 1298, and 1499 kW/m2, respectively.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25008135Open environmentsNEPE solid propellantCombustionFlame morphologyThermal characteristics
spellingShingle Yuan Ma
Guangmei Shi
Yupeng Hu
Minghai Li
Yanhong Zhang
Investigation of flame morphology and thermal characteristics of NEPE solid propellant combustion in an open air environment
Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
Open environments
NEPE solid propellant
Combustion
Flame morphology
Thermal characteristics
title Investigation of flame morphology and thermal characteristics of NEPE solid propellant combustion in an open air environment
title_full Investigation of flame morphology and thermal characteristics of NEPE solid propellant combustion in an open air environment
title_fullStr Investigation of flame morphology and thermal characteristics of NEPE solid propellant combustion in an open air environment
title_full_unstemmed Investigation of flame morphology and thermal characteristics of NEPE solid propellant combustion in an open air environment
title_short Investigation of flame morphology and thermal characteristics of NEPE solid propellant combustion in an open air environment
title_sort investigation of flame morphology and thermal characteristics of nepe solid propellant combustion in an open air environment
topic Open environments
NEPE solid propellant
Combustion
Flame morphology
Thermal characteristics
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25008135
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AT yupenghu investigationofflamemorphologyandthermalcharacteristicsofnepesolidpropellantcombustioninanopenairenvironment
AT minghaili investigationofflamemorphologyandthermalcharacteristicsofnepesolidpropellantcombustioninanopenairenvironment
AT yanhongzhang investigationofflamemorphologyandthermalcharacteristicsofnepesolidpropellantcombustioninanopenairenvironment