Chemical kinetics of multi-component pyrotechnics and mechanistic deconvolution of variable activation energy

Abstract

This study reports an experimental investigation into the chemical kinetics of several commercial pyrotechnic compositions. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was utilized to elucidate the thermo-kinetic characteristics of four multicomponent pyrotechnic compositions. The combustion process of typical pyrotechnics is primarily driven by condensed phase reactions including processes such as phase change, decomposition, and oxidation. The multicomponent nature of practical pyrotechnics results in a particularly complex interaction between the components when heated. A thermo-kinetic study was performed to simulate the heating experienced by the pyrotechnics before the combustion zone. The physical processes occurring within these temperature limits provide important insight into the overall combustion rate. The non-isothermal DSC experimental technique combined with isoconversional methods, such as Friedman and Starink methods were utilized to evaluate the apparent chemical kinetics parameters for these propellants. The observations from the DSC study and isoconversional kinetic analysis provided an insight into the phenomenology of the combustion process of pyrotechnics. The problem of highly variable activation energy due to the presence of multiple reactions was addressed through a mechanistic deconvolution using nonlinear regression technique. The study confirmed the prominence of oxidizer decomposition on overall combustion reaction kinetics.