Aerothermochemical studies of energetic liquid materials. 2. Combustion and microexplosion of droplets of organic azides

An experimental investigation has been conducted on the vaporization, combustion, and microexplosion characteristics of freely falling droplets of organic azides in hot oxidizing or inert environments. The droplet gasification rate and the state of microexplosion have been measured. Results show that, compared with the conventional hydrocarbon fuels, droplets of azido fuels gasify faster and microexplode earlier in the droplet lifetime. The effect is especially strong for n-alkyl diazides whose gasification rates can exceed those of the corresponding n-alkanes by several hundred percent. Such strong responses are believed to be caused by the exothermic decomposition of the azides either in the liquid phase or upon gasification. Other important and interesting effects studied include molecular branching, OH-substitution, the proximity and number of the azide groups, and alcohol and halide blending.