Combustion of Nanoaluminum and Magnesium in Fuel-Rich Propellants

Fuel-rich propellants are used in ducted rocket technology. The reduced content of oxidizer and the use of atmospheric air improve the gravimetric specific impulse far above the level of standard rocket motors, granting longer operating range. Peculiar requirements of ducted rockets favor either high or low-pressure exponent propellants, depending on the pressurization strategy of the gas generator. The introduction of metal additives further improves the volumetric specific impulse and plays in favor of system compactness but combustion is difficult due to the intrinsic lack of oxidizer. Agglomeration of metal and low burning rates are observed. In this paper, the combustion of a set of fuel-rich propellants with nanoaluminum and magnesium is investigated. The reported data set comprises ideal performance, burning rate, incipient agglomeration, and metal content of the agglomerates.