The three-dimensional numerical simulation of aluminized composite solid propellant combustion

A three-dimensional numerical framework is presented that examines the burning of aluminized solid propellants. The numerical solver accounts for heat conduction in the solid, combustion in the gas phase, and coupling of these by means of a level set method. The aluminium particles are treated as heat conducting solid spheres. The aluminium particle detachment process is modelled using level sets, but once the particle becomes free from the surface, its subsequent motion in the gas phase is governed by particle dynamics. Some preliminary calculations of the three-dimensional combustion field supported by a pack with embedded aluminium particles are presented.