A kinetic model for the consumption of stabilizer in single base gun propellants

Abstract

A suitable kinetic model for the consumption of stabilizer (diphenylamine) in single base gun propellants was investigated and successfully verified. The model assumes that a reaction of shifting order can be applied for the consumption of diphenylamine in single base gun propellants. It was found that the experimental data were well evaluated by a first-order reaction at high concentrations of diphenylamine in the propellant, but by a zero-order reaction at low concentrations during the final phase of the propellant life time. The mechanism of diphenylamine depletion was discussed with relation to the model and the ageing behavior of the propellants. The kinetic parameters of this model, which permit the calculation of the time up to complete consumption of the diphenylamine, were determined. The results were compared with the kinetic data obtained by a widely accepted model, which combines formally reactions of first and zero order, designated as an “exponential and linear” model. All comparisons gave satisfactory agreement.

Keywords

• single base gun propellants
• stabilizer (diphenylamine) consumption
• chemical stability
• kinetic model