Investigation of Combustor and Nozzle Performance in a Hybrid Ducted Rocket Using Boron Carbide-Based Solid Fuel
摘要
Boron carbide (B4C) has attracted renewed attention due to its outstanding heating values, both in terms of mass and volume, like those of boron. However, boron carbide oxidation products formed during combustion hinder complete combustion due to their low volatility. It has been found that B4C-based solid fuel significantly increases the combustion efficiency for solid fuel ramjets (SFRJ). The current investigation uses a hybrid fuel ducted rocket (HFDR) that operates on gaseous oxygen. Titanium (Ti) nanoparticles are used as combustion enhancers when they are combined with a boron carbide and paraffin wax mixture. This study experimentally investigates the combustion performance of four distinct solid fuel samples, including pure paraffin wax, paraffin wax with 10% B4C particles, and paraffin wax loaded with 10% B4C combined with 1% and 2% Ti particles. Combustion performance is studied based on the regression rate, secondary combustion chamber pressure, and active boron carbide content in the condensed combustion product (CCP) collected from the nozzle region. As-received feed particles and CCP collected from the nozzle surface are subjected to material characterization techniques such as FE-SEM, XRD, and TGA. The energy from paraffin wax and boron carbide-based solid fuel aims to provide insights into the combustion characteristics of B4C particles and the current ducted rocket engine design.