Sheet Atomization of Gel Propellant Simulant

Gelled propellants for rocket propulsion applications offer the advantage of safer storage and handling in comparison with liquid fuels. Sheet formation and break-up study of non-reactive gel simulant prepared with Carbopol 934 in de-ionized water was conducted for understanding atomization of gels by impinging jets configuration. Material properties of gels prepared and their flow behavior estimated. The simulant is injected through an orifice of 0.413 mm up to a range of 20 bar injection pressure is studied by analyzing high-speed shadow graph images of liquid jets impingement, sheet formation, and disintegration. The prominent effect of gelling agent concentration in sheet formation and break-up is revealed. Sheet break-up is occurring in two different modes for five different gel concentrations. Waves generated from impingement point caused break-up of sheets for low-concentration gels and high-velocity jets while tearing and hole formation in sheets led to their break-up for mostly high-concentration gels and particularly for low jet velocity modes. Droplet trajectories and their velocity at various locations in the periphery of sheets were measured for two different jet velocities for five gel concentrations.