Ignition of a polymer propellant of hybrid rocket motor by a hot particle

The ignition of polymethylmethacrylate (typical model propellant of the hybrid rocket motor) by a hot particle in a shape of parallelepiped, polyhedron, disk is investigated numerically. The initial temperature of a heat source varied within the range 950–1150 K, size of particle – within the range 2–6 mm. It is established that varying these parameters influenced significantly the main characteristic of the process – ignition delay time under ignition conditions close to critical. For considered shape of particles, ignition delay time is in ascending sequence: parallelepiped, polyhedron, disk. Three polymer ignition regimes, which characterized by the initial temperature of a heat source, ignition delay time and a location of an ignition zone in a vicinity of a hot particle, are emphasized. It is illustrated that taking into account the dependence of thermal and physical characteristics of polymethylmethacrylate on temperature, the ignition delay time increased due to augmentation of energy accumulated by a subsurface layer.