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Abstract
A new air bag inflator based on the combustion reactions of methane-oxygen mixtures has been developed and modeled. The performance of this inflator was evaluated in terms of pressure-lime relationships inside the inflator and in a receiving tank simulating an air bag as well as the temperature-time relationship in the tank. A theoretical model has been developed to simulate the transient pressure, temperature and mass flow rate from the inflator to the tank. The model is based on the change in the internal energy inside the inflator and the receiving lank as the mass flows from the inflator to the tank. The model utilizes the Chemical Equilibrium Compositions and Applications code developed by NASA to estimate the equilibrium conditions in the inflator and the mass fractions of the product species. The model predicts the pressures and temperatures inside the inflator and the tank as a function of time. The predicted results were in good agreement with the experimental results. This model can predict transient pressures and temperatures with an accuracy of ±15%. The present modeling approach can be applied to a range of combustible gas mixtures, including hydrocarbon-oxygen, hydrogen-air and others.