Multi-Objective Optimization of Damage Volume and CO2 Consumption for High-Pressure Liquid CO2 Jet Impact on Hydroxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene Propellant

High-pressure liquid CO2 jets possess the characteristics of low-temperature cooling and dry, residue-free impact, which makes this technology particularly suitable for removing hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) propellant from decommissioned solid rocket motors. However, existing studies lack multi-objective optimization of impact efficiency and CO2 consumption, which limits their engineering applications and further promotion. In this study, a high-accuracy quadratic Response Surface Methodology (RSM) relating process parameters to damaged volume was established using a Box–Behnken design (BBD) combined with three-dimensional topography scanning. A theoretical model for CO2 consumption was developed based on the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM). On this basis, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) was used to obtain the Pareto-optimal set for maximizing propellant damaged volume and minimizing CO2 consumption. The results indicate that nozzle diameter has the most significant effect on damaged volume and exhibits a strong interaction with jet pressure. The knee-point solution gives a jet pressure of 15.35 MPa, a stand-off distance of 5 mm, and a nozzle diameter of 1.8 mm. Compared with the initial condition, this compromise condition increases the damaged volume by 72% while increasing CO2 consumption by only 4.9%. Furthermore, the temperature in the impact zone was reduced to a minimum of −92.4 °C, with no thermal accumulation observed. These findings reveal the influence of liquid CO2 jet process parameters on impact efficiency and CO2 consumption, providing a theoretical basis and parameter references for its engineering application in the safe removal of propellants from decommissioned solid rocket motors.