Phenomena resulting from hypergolic contact
Abstract
Understanding hypergolic ignition is critical for the safe and successful operation of hypergolic engines. The complex coupling of physical and chemical processes during hypergolic ignition complicates analysis of the event. Presently, hypergolic ignition models cannot simulate liquid contact and mixing or liquid-phase chemical reactions, and rely on experimental results for validation. In some cases, chemical kinetics of hypergolic propellants and fluid dynamics of droplet collisions couple to produce unexpected phenomena. This research investigates contact between droplets and pools of liquid hypergolic propellants under various conditions in order to investigate these liquid-phase reactions and categorize the resulting interaction. During this experiment, 142 drop tests were performed to investigate phenomena associated with hypergolic contact of various propellants. A drop of fuel impacted a semi-ellipsoidal pool of oxidizer at varying impact velocities and impact geometries. The temperature, pressure, ambient atmosphere, and propellant quality were all controlled during the experiment, as these factors have been shown to influence hypergolic ignition delay. Three distinct types of impacts were identified: explosions, bounces, and splashes. The impact type was found to depend on the impact Weber number and impact angle. Splashes occurred above a critical Weber number of 250, regardless of impact angle. Explosions occurred for Weber numbers less than 250, and for impact angles less than seven degrees. If the impact angle was greater than seven degrees then the test resulted in a bounce. Literature related to explosions induced by hypergolic contact was reviewed. Explosions were observed to occur inconsistently, a feature that has never been addressed. Literature related to non-reactive splashing, bouncing, and coalescence was reviewed for insight into the explosion phenomenon. I propose that the dependence of impact angle on the transition between explosion and bounce impacts is partially responsible for the explosion inconsistency in literature. No explosions were observed for the alternative hypergolic propellants tested, which could be due to lower gas production rates or the absence of reactive intermediate species present in certain propellant chemistry. In either case, the fluid dynamics of the impact was consistent, but the chemical kinetics of the propellants were different, and presumably, the two did not couple as strongly. Based on the results, explosions appear to be a mixing driven process caused by the coupling between the fluid dynamics of the impact and the chemical kinetics of the propellants. Upon contact, the fuel drop merges with the oxidizer pool. Liquid-phase neutralization reactions produce enough heat to vaporize propellants, which then accumulate within a gas pocket inside the pool. Exothermic gas-phase reactions result in an explosion originating from within the propellant pool. In addition to investigation of the explosion phenomenon, high-speed videos were taken of the first microseconds of hypergolic contact to observe the liquid-phase chemical reactions in detail. The delay between contact and first gas production was measured to be between 20 and 200 microseconds for monomethylhydrazine and red fuming nitric acid. This delay provides insight into the speed of the liquid-phase chemical reactions, and has helped to calibrate liquid-based ignition models. This research has categorized different interactions resulting from hypergolic contact, and found that the impact Weber number and impact angle were the controlling parameters. I propose that slight changes in the impact angle went unobserved by previous researchers and were partially responsible for the explosion inconsistency in literature. Microsecond scale time delays were measured between contact and gas production and have been used to calibrate previously unknown rate constants of liquid-phase chemical reactions.
Degree
M.S.A.A.
Advisors
Pourpoint, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Aerospace engineering
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