Thermal Decomposition & Kinetic Studies of Metal-Neutralized AP-based Solid Propellants

Abstract

Ammonium perchlorate is the conventional oxidiser for solid composite propellant because of its high performance. The main disadvantage is the release of toxic HCl to the environment, which is overcome by infusing metal additives, and it becomes essential to understand its effect on the combustion process. In the current study, thermal decomposition of AP solid propellants is studied by thermal analysis. Kinetics of decomposition is investigated by two iso-conversional methods, the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa Method and the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose Method. The addition of pure or binary metal Al-Mg (5% - 10%) as additives shows a reduction in complexity of the process by reducing the number of steps involved in the combustion reaction. This is because of the interaction of metals with the decomposition products of ammonium perchlorate, which leads to the formation of metal chloride, leading to the reduced HCl in the exhaust.