Droplet entrainment characteristics of HTPB/Paraffin blended fuels for hybrid rocket motors

Droplet entrainment contributes to excellent regression rates of HTPB/paraffin blended fuels in hybrid rocket motors, but also leads to more complicated mass transfer mechanisms in application. The liquid film dynamic behaviors and droplet entrainment mechanisms of the fuels in a windowed two-dimensional slab facility under hot gas stream were investigated using the backlight method, image processing technique and fast Fourier transform. The results showed that the liquid film with a thickness of less than 3 mm could be formed on the fuel surface, and the gas-liquid interface experienced rolling and ripple waves before evolving into singlet disturbance-crests, bags and ligaments, the sources of entrained droplets. Moreover, interfacial waves propagated periodically at frequencies within 100 Hz, which was stimulated by gas shear stress and inhibited by liquid film viscosity damping, thus the regression rate was positively correlated with the temperature and mass flux of hot gas stream, while negatively correlated with the chamber pressure and the HTPB concentration. Additionally, the burst of the main part and the rim of bag provided polarized droplet diameters among the three droplet entrainment mechanisms involving the ligament break-up and the shearing-off of crest. Therefore, the averaged droplet diameter and its coefficient of variation even reduced to 47.98 mu m and 0.48 with the disappearance of bag break-up, when the HTPB content increased to 40 wt%.

Automated summary

This study investigated the droplet entrainment mechanisms and liquid film behavior of HTPB/paraffin blended fuels in hybrid rocket motors. The experiments revealed that the entrained droplets were formed due to the disturbance of the gas-liquid interface, leading to a decrease in regression rate. The behavior of the liquid film was influenced by temperature, mass flux, chamber pressure, and HTPB concentration.