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Combustion behavior of free boron-slurry droplets

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6301092

This paper reports first observations of the combustion properties of isolated boron/JP-10 slurry droplets in high-temperature, atmospheric pressure oxidizing streams under low Reynolds number conditions. Slurry droplets of initial diameter between 400 and 500 micrometers and initial solid mass fraction of 0.3 were studied using single-lens reflex and high speed cine photography under both self illuminated and backlighted conditions. Boron slurry droplets burned for short periods of time with an envelope diffusion flame structure, but then experienced violent disruption for all cases studied. The intensity of the disruption progress was found to be strongly influenced by the temperature of the envelope diffusion flame. The ignition of the boron particles emitted from the initial fuel droplet was also affected by this flame temperature. As this flame temperature was increased by increasing the environmental oxygen content, the disruption occurred at earlier times in the vapor phase burning period. Ignition of the boron particles at high flame temperatures (> 2500K) was accompanied by a popping sound and a bright greenish flash of luminosity.

Research Organization:
Princeton Univ., NJ (USA). Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
OSTI ID:
6301092
Report Number(s):
AD-A-158620/5/XAB; MAE-1702
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English