The objective of this research is to understand and model reaction mechanisms and physical effects which occur in combustion of propellants and gas phase flames.
Emphasis is placed on understanding the generation of power and pollutants during combustion.
If elementary rate data are not available and the reaction rates cannot be measured, the rate constants may be calculated by theoretical chemists, with whom we are in close collaboration. The models are compared with results from shock tube, stirred reactor, premixed laminar flame, or propellant strand combustion experiments. Mechanisms of primary interest range from simple reactions of small organic molecules with nitrogen oxides to the complex chemistry of propellant combustion. Also of interest is the chemistry of nonenvironmentally harmful flame inhibitors, which might be used as fire extinguisher materials rather than ozone depleting halogen compounds. Available computing facilities include PCs, minicomputers, a Silicon Graphics workstation, and CRAY supercomputers.