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Defence Technology 12 (2016) 8185
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Application of transient burning rate model of solid propellant

in electrothermal-chemical launch simulation
Yan-jie NI, Yong JIN, Gang WAN, Chun-xia YANG, Hai-yuan LI *, Bao-ming LI
National Key Laboratory of Transient Physics, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094, China
Received 11 September 2015; revised 26 October 2015; accepted 28 October 2015
Available online 26 November 2015

Abstract
A 30 mm electrothermal-chemical (ETC) gun experimental system is employed to research the burning rate characteristics of 4/7 high-nitrogen
solid propellant. Enhanced gas generation rates (EGGR) of propellants during and after electrical discharges are verified in the experiments. A
modified 0D internal ballistic model is established to simulate the ETC launch. According to the measured pressure and electrical parameters, a
transient burning rate law including the influence of EGGR coefficient by electric power and pressure gradient (dp/dt) is added into the model. The
EGGR coefficient of 4/7 high-nitrogen solid propellant is equal to 0.005 MW1. Both simulated breech pressure and projectile muzzle velocity
accord with the experimental results well. Compared with Woodleys modified burning rate law, the breech pressure curves acquired by the
transient burning rate law are more consistent with test results. Based on the parameters calculated in the model, the relationship among propellant
burning rate, pressure gradient (dp/dt) and electric power is analyzed. Depending on the transient burning rate law and experimental data, the
burning of solid propellant under the condition of plasma is described more accurately.
2016 China Ordnance Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Solid propellant; Electrothermal-chemical launch; 0D internal ballistic model; Transient burning rate law

1. Introduction
Electrothermal-chemical (ETC) propulsion is considered to
be an attractive technology to improve the projectile muzzle
kinetic energy [1]. The ignition delay time can be reduced by
adjusting the electric power [2,3], and a compensation for the
variation in initial charge temperature is possible [46].
Closed comb experiments are taken to analyze the
phenomena of propellant combustion with or without plasma
[7,8]. EGGR of propellants during and after electrical discharges
were verified in the experiments. An EGGR coefficient is used to
evaluate the effect of electric power [9,10]. Because of EGGR,
pressure gradient changes rapidly. The effect of pressure
gradient (dp/dt) on burning rate should be considered, especially
at a large ratio of input electric energy to propellant impetus.
In this paper, the firing tests using a 30 mm ETC gun are
described. A 0D internal ballistic model is used to simulate the
ETC launch. A transient burning rate law including the influ-
ence of EGGR coefficient by electric power and pressure gra-
Peer review under responsibility of China Ordnance Society.
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: Li_haiyuan@163.com (H.Y. LI).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dt.2015.10.003
2214-9147/ 2016 China Ordnance Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
dient (dp/dt) is added into the model. The accuracy of the
simulated data is analyzed.
2. 30 mm ETC gun firings
2.1. Experimental setup
Fig. 1 shows a diagram of a pulse forming network (PFN)
used in ETC launch. It contains four modules which can be
used independently as a system circuit. Each module contains a
1220 F capacitor, a 40 H inductance, a high power switch, a
crowbar circuit and a surge protection resistor. In the 30 mm
ETC gun experimental system, the load is a capillary plasma
generator (CPG) with 72 mm in length and 8 mm in diameter.
The structure diagram of the 30 mm ETC gun is shown in
Fig. 2. The chamber volume is 356 cm3 and the length of the
barrel is 2.75 m. A pressure sensor is added at the breech of the
gun, and velocity measuring screens are used to measure the
projectile velocity.
The experimental measurement system is composed of
sensors and a data acquisition equipment. Gas pressure is mea-
sured by a Kistler 6215 pressure sensor. A resistive divider and
Rogowski coil are used to measure the voltage and current at
both ends of the CPG, respectively. JV5200 transient recorder is
used to record the experimental data. There are 8 channels for
82 Y.J. NI et al. / Defence Technology 12 (2016) 8185
Fig. 1. Circuit of the 30 mm ETC gun experimental system.
collection in the transient recorder, and the sampling frequency
is 20 MHz.
2.2. Experimental results
The standard projectiles of 72.1 g were fired with 4/7 high-
nitrogen propellant of 260 g in the experiment. The 4/7 high-
nitrogen propellant is a homogeneous single-based propellant
mainly containing nitrocellulose. The experimental conditions
and results are listed in Table 1.
At a transferred energy of 192 kJ, the maximum breech
pressure was about 441 MPa, and the muzzle velocity of the
projectile reached 2085 m/s. At a transferred energy of 182 kJ,
the maximum breech pressure was about 446 MPa, and the
muzzle velocity of the projectile reached 2086 m/s. At a trans-
ferred energy of 200 kJ, the maximum breech pressure was
about 438 MPa, and the muzzle velocity of the projectile
reached 2088 m/s. At a transferred energy of 220 kJ, the
maximum breech pressure was about 452 MPa, and the muzzle
velocity of the projectile reached 2123 m/s. The discharge
timing sequence can be adjusted to control the peak pressure
and increase the projectile muzzle kinetic energy.
The breech pressures and transferred electric powers in the
case of 4 different discharge timing sequences are shown in
Fig. 3. For each case, a pulse current was applied for 1 ms, but
Fig. 2. Structure diagram of the 30 mm ETC gun.
Table 1
Conditions and results of the experiment.
No. Discharge timing sequence/s Discharge voltage/kV
1 0, 0, 470, 470 9.448, 9.364, 9.59, 9.938
2 0, 0, 250, 500 9.326, 9.281, 10.029, 9.979
3 0, 250, 500, 500 9.497, 9.378, 10.184, 10.498
4 0, 250, 250, 500 9.392, 9.942, 9.805, 8.775
Fig. 3. Measured breech pressures and electric powers.
the transferred energies were different because of different dis-
charge timing sequences. An obvious pressure plateau is shown
in the pressure curves in Fig. 3.
Fig. 4 shows the breech pressure gradient (dp/dt) curves in
the case of 4 different discharge timing sequences. It can be
seen from Fig. 4 that 3 spikes appear in the rising phase of
pressure. The pressure gradient (dp/dt) is influenced by plasma,
propellant burning process and projectile motion. At the begin-
ning of the ignition process, there is a spike in the pressure
gradient (dp/dt), which may be caused by the interference of
CPGs electromagnetic field and pressure gradient (dp/dt) in
the chamber. Then, the pressure gradient (dp/dt) increases
rapidly during the electrical discharge. With the increase in
pressure, the projectile begins to move. At this time, the pro-
pellant just begins to burn, and the influence of propellant
combustion on chamber pressure can be ignored, while the
motion of projectile makes the pressure gradient (dp/dt)
decrease. Along with propellant combustion, the influence of
propellant combustion on pressure increases. So the pressure
gradient (dp/dt) increases again. At the end of the electrical
discharge, the pressure gradient (dp/dt) decreases with the elec-
Maximum breech pressure/MPa Projectile velocity/(ms1)
441 2085
446 2086
438 2088
452 2123
 Y.J. NI et al. / Defence Technology 12 (2016) 8185
Fig. 4. Pressure gradient (dp/dt) of measured breech pressure.
tric power. The pressure gradient (dp/dt) increases with propel-
lant combustion after the electrical discharge. Meanwhile, the
increase in space volume in the rear of projectile makes the
pressure gradient (dp/dt) decrease due to the high projectile
velocity.
3. Propellant burning rate law
The propellant used in the 30 mm ETC gun was tested in an
improved closed vessel into which electrical energy was dis-
charged. Fig. 5 shows the pressure gradient (dp/dt) in the closed
vessel tests. The pressure gradient (dp/dt) of CPG is much
larger than that of the conventional ignition. The phenomenon
of EGGR during the electrical discharge was verified. Clive R.
Woodley added an EGGR coefficient into the Vieilles law to
simulate the effect of EGGR in the 155 mm ETC launch [11].
In the 30 mm ETC launch, the peak of pressure gradient (dp/dt)
is higher than 1000 MPa/ms, while the peak of pressure gradi-
ent (dp/dt) in conventional ignition is just about 500 MPa/ms.
Fig. 5. Pressure gradient (dp/dt) in the closed vessel tests.
83
The pressure gradient changes rapidly under the condition of
plasma ignition. The influence of pressure gradient (dp/dt) on
the burning rate of solid propellant should be taken into con-
sideration [12,13]. A semi-empirical equation of propellant
burning rate, including the influence of pressure gradient (dp/
dt) and EGGR coefficient by electric power, is presented.
(t ) n dp
r = u1 p n1 1 + 2 2 n1+11 (1 + e Pe ) (1)
u1 p dt
where u1 is the burning rate coefficient of the solid propellant,
n1 is the burning rate exponent, (t) is time variable function of
pressure and flame structure, Pe is the electric power (in MW),
e is the EGGR coefficient (in MW1).
4. 0D simulation
The transferred electric power and the predicted and mea-
sured breech pressures are shown in Figs. 69, respectively. The
predicted breech pressures are simulated by Woodleys modi-
fied burning rate law and transient burning rate law in Eq. (1).
The enhancement of burning rate during the electrical dis-
charge can be simulated with the help of the EGGR coefficient.
It can be seen from Figs. 69 that the predicted breech pressures
are in good agreement with the measured pressures when the
EGGR coefficient is equal to 0.005 MW1. Compared with the
breech pressures simulated by Woodleys modified burning rate
law, the breech pressures simulated by the transient burning rate
law are more coincident with the measured breech pressures
especially at the end of electrical discharge. In the 30 mm ETC
launch, the ratio of the input electric energy to propellant
impetus is higher than 0.65, which is much larger than the ratio
in Woodleys 155 mm ETC launch [14]. A higher ratio leads to
a greater effect on the burning rate of propellant. The enhanced
burning rates during and after electrical discharge should not
just depend on EGGR coefficient by electric power, and the
influence of the pressure gradient (dp/dt) should be considered.
Fig. 6. Breech pressure and electric power of Test No. 1.
84 Y.J. NI et al. / Defence Technology 12 (2016) 8185

Fig. 7. Breech pressure and electric power of Test No. 2. Fig. 9. Breech pressure and electric power of Test No. 4.

Table 2 shows the mean square error (MSE) between the projectile muzzle velocity is larger than the measured muzzle
simulated and measured breech pressures. The MSE of the velocity. In particular, the simulation accuracy of transient
pressure simulated by the transient burning rate law is about burning rate law is better. Depending on the simulated pressure
1 MPa less than that simulated by Woodleys modified burning and projectile muzzle velocity, the simulation accuracy of the
rate law. In order to analyze the simulation accuracies of the
different burning rate laws, the MSEs of simulated breech pres-
sure within 1.2 ms are listed in Table 3. It can be known from Table 2
MSEs of simulated breech pressure.
Table 3 that the MSE of pressure simulated by the transient
burning rate law decreases, while the MSE of the pressure Test No. MSE simulated by MSE simulated by transient
Woodleys modified burning burning rate law/MPa
simulated by Woodleys modified burning rate law decreases
rate law/MPa
only slightly or increases. It proves that the pressure simulated
1 25.47 23.87
by the transient burning rate law is more accurate. The projec-
2 25.75 24.01
tile muzzle velocity and relative error are listed in Table 4. The 3 24.44 22.01
simulated 4 25.16 24.71

Table 3
MSEs of simulated breech pressure within 1.2 ms.
Test No. MSE simulated by MSE simulated by transient
Woodleys modified burning burning rate law/MPa
rate law/MPa
1 30.09 23.06
2 29.11 23.61
3 22.03 15.46
4 22.88 20.55

Table 4
Simulated projectile muzzle velocity and relative error.
Test No. projectile muzzle velocity projectile muzzle velocity
simulated by Woodleys simulated by transient
modified burning rate burning rate law/(ms1)
law/(ms1) (relative error) (relative error)
1 2104 (0.91%) 2092 (0.34%)
2 2111 (1.20%) 2099 (0.62%)
3 2099 (0.53%) 2091 (0.14%)
4 2137 (0.66%) 2126 (0.14%)
Fig. 8. Breech pressure and electric power of Test No. 3.
 Y.J. NI et al. / Defence Technology 12 (2016) 8185
transient burning rate law is better than that of Woodleys
modified burning rate law in the 30 mm ETC launch.
5. Conclusions and further work
The 30 mm ETC gun experimental system was employed to
research the burning rate characteristics of 4/7 high-nitrogen
solid propellant. EGGRs of propellants during and after elec-
trical discharge were shown in the experiment. Compared with
conventional ignition, the pressure gradient (dp/dt) with plasma
ignition is much larger, and the influence of pressure gradient
cannot be ignored. The peak pressure can be controlled and the
projectile muzzle kinetic energy is increased by adjusting the
discharge timing sequence.
Woodleys modified burning rate law was employed in the
30 mm ETC launch simulations. According to the experimental
data, the EGGR coefficient of 4/7 high-nitrogen solid propellant
is equal to 0.005 MW1. Because of the large ratio of input
electric energy to propellant impetus, the pressure gradient
(dp/dt) changed rapidly during and post electrical discharge.
Woodleys burning rate law was improved by taking the pres-
sure gradient (dp/dt) into account. At a high ratio of input
electric energy to propellant impetus, the MSEs of parameters
simulated by transient burning rate law were less than those
simulated by Woodleys burning rate law.
Further work needs to be conducted at different kinds of
propellant to determine the corresponding value of (t). Work
is underway to add the transient burning rate law into 1D and
2D simulations.
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