VARIABLE PRESSURE AND HIGH TEMPERATURE CLOSED BOMB FOR LASER IGNITION STUDIES

PHOTOLYSIS HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A MEANS OF INITIATING AND ENHANCING GAS, LIQUID AND SOLID PHASE CHEMICAL REACTIVITY. A NUMBER OF RECENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PHOTOCHEMICAL AUGMENTATION INVOLVE CHEMICAL SYSTEMS AT ELEVATED AND VARIABLE TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THERE EXISTS THE NEED TO GATHER FUNDAMENTAL PHOTOCHEMICAL DATA UNDER THE SEVERE CONDITIONS ATTENDANT TO GAS PHASE EXPLOSIVES, AND SOLID AND LIQUID PROPELLANT COMBUSTION. A PHASE I RESEARCH PROGRAM IS PROPOSED FOR THE DESIGN AND TESTING OF A VARIABLE HIGH PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE CLOSED BOMB APPARATUS FOR LASER IGNITION AND PHOTOCHEMICAL STUDIES. THIS APPARATUS WILL HAVE THE FOLLOWING CAPABILITIES: A VERSATILE SAMPLE CHAMBER FOR CONTROLLED HEATING OF SOLID, LIQUID OR GASEOUS SAMPLES; THE CAPABILITY FOR ACCOMMODATING VARIOUS PHOTOLYSIS SOURCES FROM VUV TO MID-IR SPECTRAL RANGES; PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE TRANSDUCERS FOR CONTINUOUS MONITORING; AND CAPABILITY FOR ACCOMMODATING VARIOUS SPECTROSCOPIC PROBES, SUCH AS FT-IR,LASER INDUCED FLUORESCENCE AND MASS SPECTROSCOPY. TO MEET THESE OBJECTIVES, A 6-TASK PHASE I PROGRAM IS PROPOSED. IT WILL INCLUDE 1) FACT-FINDING EFFORT, 2) DESIGN EFFORT, 3) PROTOTYPE CONSTRUCTION, 4) TESTING OF BOMB APPARATUS, 5) MODIFYING BOMB APPARATUS, AND 6) TIME PERMITTING, ANALYTICAL MODELING OF REACTOR PROCESSES.