Eventos Anais de eventos
ENCIT 2022
19th Brazilian Congress of Thermal Sciences and Engineering
Preliminary experimental evaluation of the burning of paraffin-based fuels supported in polymeric matrices applied to hybrid rocket motors
Submission Author:
Mariana Tarifa , SP
Co-Authors:
Mariana Tarifa, Leonardo Henrique Gouvêa, Pedro Lacava
Presenter: Mariana Tarifa
doi://10.26678/ABCM.ENCIT2022.CIT22-0008
Abstract
Paraffin-based fuels applied to hybrid rocket motors have been the subject of studies since the early 2000s, due to their high rate of regression in relation to those commonly used, such as Hydroxyl Terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB). However, the pure paraffin grain may present low mechanical strength and considerable unburnt fuel ejection from the rocket engine nozzle. Among the methods that have been used to suppress these undesirable characteristics are the addition of different materials amid the paraffin grain and the use of afterburners. Polymeric matrices obtained by additive manufacturing allow complex geometries in an agile, flexible and less costly way using materials that in essence also have fuel characteristics, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA). In this view, the current project evaluated the influence that the support of polymeric matrices made of ABS in paraffin-based fuels can have on the improvement of grain mechanical strength, flow turbulence and burning efficiency. The experiments were carried out in a two-dimensional chamber with a visualization window in which the analysis of the spatial behavior of the regression of fuels were made. Improvements were observed in the ease of ignition and reduction of ejected paraffin.
Keywords
hybrid rocket propulsion, Paraffin, Additive manufacturing
