Inverted population of Co2 molecules in expanding gas streams

The system of equations of hydrodynamics, which describes the process of escape of the mixtures CO₂ + N₂ + He, H₂O from a nozzle, is solved numerically in conjunction with the equations of the kinetics of the excitation of the vibrational degrees of freedom of the molecules. It is found that an inverted population of the CO₂ molecules with respect to the transition [00 °1] – [10 °0], is produced under certain conditions at the exit from the nozzle. The magnitude of the inversion depends both on the nozzle configuration and on the initial values of the gas temperature and pressure. It is shown that for a specified nozzle configuration there exist optimal values of these parameters, at which the inverted population of the CO₂ molecules reaches approximately 10¹⁵ cm^–3.Translated from Zhumal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 5, pp. 24–34, September–October, 1971.     

Study of vibrational deactivation of molecules of carbon dioxide gas during cooling of stream in a supersonic nozzle

The vibrational temperature of the antisymmetrical type of vibrations (v ₃) of the CO₂ molecule at the exit of a supersonic nozzle is measured in the present work using the method of recording the infrared emission. Freezing in of thev ₃-type vibrations was observed during the flow of undiluted carbon dioxide in a nozzle. In this case the vibrational temperature T₃ considerably exceeded the translational temperature. On the basis of a comparison of the experimental results with calculation it can be concluded that vibrational deactivation of CO₂ molecules occurs three to five times faster than the excitation of the vibrations during heating in a shock wave. All the experiments were conducted under the following conditions: maximum expansion of gas in nozzle A/A* = 115, temperature range 1900–2400 °K, pressure range 1–17.5 atm.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 6, pp. 32–40, November–December, 1973.The authors are grateful to U. G. Pirumov and É. A. Ashratov for the calculation of the nozzle profile and the distribution of streamlines as well as for a discussion of the results.     

Determination of optimum nozzle parameters in a gasdynamic laser

In connection with the use of supersonic nozzles to create lasers, the question arises of the optimum parameters of the nozzle and the gas mixture from the aspect of obtaining the greatest population inversion of the energy levels of internal degrees of freedom of molecules of the working gas and the greatest output power of the lasers. A rather complete concept of the kinetic processes taking place during the escape of a relaxing gas mixture containing carbon dioxide through a supersonic nozzle has now been developed on the basis of calculated and experimental data. In [1–4] the problems of optimization of the parameters of a CO₂-N₂-H₂O-He mixture and of the shape of the nozzle were set up and solved in a one-dimensional steady-state formulation. The influence of the two-dimensionality of the stream in an optimum nozzle on the laser characteristics is studied in the present report. The method of through calculation suggested in [5] is used to calculate the two-dimensional flow of a relaxing gas.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 5, pp. 23–26, September–October, 1978.     

Possibility of the occurrence of dissociation reactions of multiatomic molecules during rapid cooling in an expanding supersonic stream

We investigate the possibility of the occurrence of the reaction involving the dissociation of N₂O and the exchange reaction N₂O+CON₂+CO₂ during rapid cooling of a gas mixture due to supersonic expansion in a nozzle. A numerical solution of the equations for the balance of vibrational energy and the kinetics of the chemical reactions under nonequilibrium conditions is given. We find the values of the parameters that are necessary for the experimental observation of the phenomena considered.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 2, pp. 48–53, March–April, 1973.     

Diffusion processes in the mixing zone of a supersonic jet of low density

Results of an investigation into the diffusion processes in a jet of low density behind a strongly underexpanded sonic nozzle, in the zone of mixing with the surrounding gas, are presented. By means of electron-beam methods, the structure of the jet was studied in the case of expanding N₂, into an atmosphere of CO₂ + N₂ in transient regimes of flow varying from solid to rarefied. The results of an analysis of the fields of concentration of the separate components are given in a generalized form.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 1, pp. 121–127, January–February, 1973.     

Calculation of hysteresis and flow-rate oscillations of base pressure in supersonic annular nozzles

The interaction of the turbulent axisymmetric near wake behind the face of the central body of an annular nozzle with the supersonic annular jet discharging from this nozzle is analyzed. The flow in the monoparametric near wake is calculated by the integral method [1] while the flow in the nonviscous jet is calculated by the method of through calculation using a monotonic explicit difference system of the first order of accuracy [2]. The interaction between the nonviscous and turbulent streams is determined by the displacement thickness of the wake. The initial conditions of the wake are determined from the integral conditions of attachment with the mixing flow in the isobaric base region. The interaction flow is described by the particular solution of the equations which passes through the singular saddle point — the throat of the wake. The near wake and base pressure in different modes of discharge from an annular nozzle at the exit cross section of which the ratio of outer and inner radii is y₂/y₁ = 1.3 and the Mach number is M = 2.54 are calculated as an example. The region of hysteresis of the base pressure, connected with the ambiguity of the interaction flow owing to the formation of the throat of the wake within the first or second barrel of the jet, and the parameters of the low-frequency flow-rate oscillations of base pressure in this region are determined. The results of the calculations are in satisfactory agreement with experimental data.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 125–130, January–February, 1977.     

Numerical study of flows of a viscous compressible gas and of an equilibrium gas mixture in a flat nozzle in the presence of strong blowing

The problem of the interaction of a viscous supersonic stream in a flat nozzle with a transverse gas jet of the same composition blown through a slot in one wall of the nozzle is examined. The complete Navier-Stokes equations are used as the initial equations. The statement of the problem in the case of the absence of blowing coincides with [1]. The conditions at the blowing cut are obtained on the assumption that the flow of the blown jet up to the blowing cut is described by one-dimensional equations of ideal gasdynamics. The proposed model of the interaction is generalized to the case of flow of a multicomponent gas mixture in chemical equilibrium. The exact solutions found in [2] are used as the boundary conditions at the entrance to the section of the nozzle under consideration. The results of numerical calculations of the flows of a homogeneous nonreacting gas and of an equilibrium mixture of gases consisting of four components (H₂, H₂O, CO, CO₂) are given for different values of the parameters of the main stream and of the blown jet. In the latter case it is assumed that the effect of thermo- and barodiffusion can be neglected.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 4, pp. 55–63, July–August, 1974.     

Optimization of the parameters of a CO2 gasdynamic laser

In order to maximize the gain coefficient of a CO₂-N₂-He gasdynamic laser, a total optimization of the stagnation parameters, the concentration coefficient, and the parameters which determine the shape of the nozzle (assuming a quasi-one-dimensional flow model) was carried out. The dependence of the optimized parameters on the limitations imposed by the stagnation temperature of the flow and the critical cross section have been determined.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 5, pp. 3–8, September–October, 1974.     

Population inversion behind a detonation wave propagating in a variable-density medium

The creation of an active medium by means of detonation has been investigated on a number of occasions. It was suggested that one could use the expansion of the detonation products of an acetylene-air mixture in vacuum [1] or the cooling of the detonation products of a mixture of hydrocarbons and air through a nozzle [2, 3]. In [4], the detonation of a solid high explosive was used to produce population inversion in the gas mixture CO₂-N₂-He(H₂O). Stimulated emission from HF molecules was observed in [5] behind the front of an overdriven detonation wave propagating in an F₂-H₂-Ar mixture in a shock tube. Population inversion behind a detonation wave was studied in H₂-F₂-He mixtures in [6–8] and in H₂-Cl₂-He mixtures in [9] with energy release on a plane and on a straight line in a medium with constant density. Similar problems were solved for shock waves propagating in both a homogeneous gaseous medium [7, 10] and in the supersonic part of an expanding nozzle. In the present paper, we study theoretically population inversion behind an overdriven detonation wave propagating in a mixture (fine carbon particles + acetylene + air) which flows through a hypersonic nozzle. The propagation of detonation in media with variable density and initial velocity was considered, for example, in [11, 12]. Analysis of the gas parameters behind a detonation wave propagating in a medium with constant density (for a given fuel) showed that the temperature difference across the detonation front is insufficient to produce population inversion of the vibrational levels of the CO₂ molecule.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 65–71, January–February, 1980.I am grateful to V. P. Korobeinikov for a helpful discussion of the results.     

Theory of two-component gasdynamic laser

In the present paper a numerical calculation is made of the vibrational relaxation of a binary mixture of molecular nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas. The calculation is performed for the entire range of variation of the concentrations of the components and over a wide range of mixture temperatures and pressures for various geometries of the supersonic part of the nozzle (throat dimensions, degree of expansion). It is shown that population inversion of the CO₂ molecules exists within a certain range of variation of the parameters of the mixture and the nozzle. The population inversion of the vibrational levels and the gain of the gaseous mixture are calculated as functions of these parameters and of distance measured from the critical cross section of the nozzle. The energy characteristics of the two-component gasdynamic laser are optimized.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 3, pp. 23–30, May–June, 1974.     

Control of a submerged jet in a thin rectangular cavity

An innovative method is presented for control of an oscillatory turbulent jet in a thin rectangular cavity with a thickness to width ratio of 0.16. Jet flow control is achieved by mass injection of a secondary jet into the region above the submerged primary jet nozzle exit and perpendicular to the primary nozzle axis. An experimental model, a 2-D and a 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model are used to investigate the flow characteristics under various secondary injection mass flow rates and injection positions. Two-dimensional laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) measurements are compared with results from the CFD models, which incorporate a standard k–ε turbulence model or a 2-D and 3-D realisable k–ε model. Experimental results show deflection angles up to 23.3° for 24.6% of relative secondary mass flow are possible. The key to high jet control sensitivity is found to be lateral jet momentum with the optimum injection position at 12% of cavity width (31.6% of the primary nozzle length) above the primary nozzle exit. CFD results also show that a standard k–ε turbulence closure with nonequilibrium wall functions provides the best predictions of the flow.     

Calculation of the characteristics of a gas-dynamic laser

The dependence of the radiated power on the characteristics of optical cavities in the case of flow systems has been investigated in a number of papers [1–3], in which it is assumed that population inversion of the laser levels is obtained until entry into the cavity. The operation of a cavity is analyzed in [1] in the geometric-optical approximation with allowance for vibrational relaxation in the gas flow. A simplified system of relaxation equations is solved under steady-state lasing conditions and an expression derived for the laser output power on the assumption of constant temperature, density, and flow speed. The vibrational relaxation processes in the cavity itself are ignored in [2, 3]. It is shown in those studies that the solution has a singularity at the cavity input within the context of the model used. In the present article the performance characteristics of a CO₂-N₂-He gas-dynamic laser with a plane cavity are calculated. A set of equations describing the processes in the cavity is analyzed and solved numerically. Population inversion of the CO₂ laser levels is created by pre-expansion of the given mixture through a flat hyperbolic nozzle. The dependence of the output power on the reflectivities of the mirrors, the cavity length, the pressure, and the composition of the active gas medium is determined.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi FiziM, No. 5, pp. 33–40, September–October, 1972.     

Investigation of supersonic isobaric submerged turbulent jets

Turbulent supersonic submerged air jets have been investigated on the Mach number interval M_a = 1.5–3.4 and on the interval of ratios of the total enthalpies in the external medium and the jet i₀ = 0.01 – 1. Oxyhydrogen jets with oxidizer ratios = 0.3–5 flowing from a nozzle at Mach numbers M_a = 1 and 2.4 have also been investigated. When < 1 the excess hydrogen in the jet burns up on mixing with the air. Special attention has been paid to obtaining experimental data free of the influence on the level of turbulence in the jet of the initial turbulence in the nozzle forechamber, shock waves occurring in the nozzle or in the jet at the nozzle exit, and the external acoustic field. The jet can be divided into two parts: an initial part and a main part. The initial part extends from the nozzle exit from the section x, in which the dimensionless velocity on the jet axis u_m = u_x/u_d = 0.75. Here, u_x is the velocity on the jet axis at distance x from the nozzle exit, and u_a is the nozzle exit velocity. The main part of the jet extends downstream from the section x. For the dimensionless length of the initial part x_m = x/d_a, where d_a is the diameter of the nozzle outlet section, empirical dependences on M_a and i₀ are obtained. It is shown, that in the main part of the jet the parameters on the flow axis — the dimensionless velocity and temperature — vary in inverse proportion to the distance, measured in units of length x, and do not depend on the flow characteristics which determine the length of the initial part of the jet. The angles of expansion of the viscous turbulent mixing layer in the submerged heated or burning jet increase with decrease in i₀ and M_a and are practically independent of the afterburning process.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza. No. 4, pp. 56–62, July–August, 1988.     

Measurement of the probability of the transition P20 (00 °1–10 °0) in CO2 and impact broadening in collisions with CO2, N2, and He

We measured the dependence of the absorption, coefficient on the pressure for the vibrational-rotational transition P20 (00 °1–10 °0) in CO₂ using a CO₂ laser as a light source. We consider the question of the systematic error due to the contribution of impact broadening, when finding the probability from the experimental absorption. The refined value of the transition probability A _{10 °0.20} ^{00 °1.19} =0.169 sec^–1. We obtain the values of the impact half-widths for collisions of the type CO₂-CO₂, CO₂-N₂, CO₂-He, the values of which at J=300 °K are respectively 3.28, 2.74, and 2.27 MHz/torr.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 6, pp. 24–28, November–December, 1972.The authors thank A. K. Konyukhov for interest in the work and for valuable discussions.     

Experimental investigation of the flow in the mixing layer in the initial section of an underexpanded jet in a parallel stream

The results are given of an experimental investigation of the flow in the initial section of a turbulent underexpanded jet exhausting from a profiled nozzle with Mach number M _a = 2.56 at the exit into a parallel stream with Mach number M = 3.1. Analysis of the results of measurement of the fields of the total head p₀ and the stagnation temperature T₀ in conjunction with results of calculation of a jet of an ideal gas make it possible to construct the velocity profile in the mixing layer of the underexpanded jet in the parallel supersonic flow.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 161–163, January–February, 1981.     

Flow of gas mixtures with vibrational energy relaxation in plane and axisymmetric nozzles

A method is described for the calculation of plane and axisymmetric flows of gas mixtures with vibrational energy relaxation in the subsonic, transonic, and supersonic regions of the nozzle. The method is based on numerical solution of the inverse problem of nozzle theory. Results are given for the flow of a C0₂-N₂-H₂O-He mixture with vibrational relaxation and compared with the results of one-dimensional calculations. It is found that vibrational-energy relaxation has a significant effect on the gasdynamic parameters of flow in nozzles with large, relative expansion and therefore in choosing a nozzle shape, especially in the supersonic region, it is necessary to calculate the nonequilibrium flow. It is shown that the geometry of the transonic and supersonic regions of the nozzle has a considerable effect on the distribution of the inverse population of the level and the amplification factor.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 125–131, September–October, 1977.     

Combined effect of external turbulence and strong acceleration on boundary layer transition in a nozzle

The effect of external turbulence on the boundary layer flow in a convergent-divergent nozzle with a high expansion ratio has been studied numerically. The external turbulence was simulated by the turbulent viscosity _e, for which we used the partial differential equation that serves to close the system of boundary layer equations [1–4]. It was found that there exists a critical value _cr such that for all _e< _cr the flow regime in the nozzle remains perfectly laminar, whereas for _ecr a laminar-turbulent transition takes place and the boundary layer in the supersonic part of the nozzle becomes turbulent. For postcritical values of _e the heat fluxes and friction losses are approximately an order greater than for precritical values. With increase in the Reynolds number, determined from the parameters in the nozzle throat, the value of _cr decreases; as the coordinate of the onset of boundary layer formation is displaced in the direction of flow the value of _cr increases.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 34–37, January–February, 1906.The authors are grateful to L. V. Gogish for participating in the discussion of the results.     

Experimental investigation of a three-dimensional viscous underexpanded jet

The three-dimensional interaction of jet issuing from two- and four-nozzle systems into ambient space or an outer flow has been investigated experimentally. The range of the important parameters include the following: pressure imbalance n=P_a=/P=10–1.5·10², Mach number at the nozzle exit M_a=3.15, Mach number of the outer flow M=0, 3.1, and 6, the flow is turbulent in the mixing layer (P_a and P are the static pressures at the nozzle exit and in the outer flow). It is shown that the interaction of the jets broadens a multinozzle jet considerably in the plane of interaction, which is a plane of symmetry and which passes through the axis of the system between neighboring nozzles. The cross-sectional shape of a four-nozzle jet is cross-like over the entire length of the initial segment of the jet. The width of the mixing layer in the plane of interaction is considerably larger than in the central plane, which passes through the axis of opposed nozzles.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 21–26, September–October, 1974.     

Flow and Mixing Fields for Transported Scalar PDF Simulations of a Piloted Jet Diffusion Flame (‘Delft Flame III’)

Numerical simulation results are presented for ‘Delft Flame III’, a piloted jet diffusion flame with strong turbulence–chemistry interaction. While pilot flames emerge from 12 separate holes in the experiments, the simulations are performed on a rectangular grid, under the assumption of axisymmetry. In the first part of the paper, flow and mixing field results are presented with a non-linear first order k–ε model, with the transport equation for ε based on a modeled enstrophy transport equation, for cold and reactive flows. For the latter, the turbulence model is applied in combination with pre-assumed β-PDF modeling for the turbulence–chemistry interaction. The mixture fraction serves as conserved scalar. Two chemistry models are considered: chemical equilibrium and a steady laminar flamelet model. The importance of the turbulence model is highlighted. The influence of the chemistry model is noticeable too. A procedure is described to construct appropriate inlet boundary conditions. Still, the generation of accurate inlet boundary conditions is shown to be far less important, their effect being local, close to the nozzle exit. In the second part of the paper, results are presented with the transported scalar PDF approach as turbulence–chemistry interaction model. A C₁ skeletal scheme serves as chemistry model, while the EMST method is applied as micro-mixing model. For the transported PDF simulations, the model for the pilot flames, as an energy source term in the mean enthalpy transport equation, is important with respect to the accuracy of the flow field predictions. It is explained that the strong influence on the flow and mixing field is through the turbulent shear stress force in the region, close to the nozzle exit.     

Effect of nonequilibrium processes in the infrasonic and ultrasonic regions of a nozzle on population inversion in flow of CO2 - N - O2 - H2O gas mixtures

The processes of oscillatory relaxation in flow through nozzles of CO₂, N₂, O₂, H₂O gas mixtures are studied. The effect of various oscillatory-oscillatory and osciallatory-translational exchange channels between mixture components and CO₂ intermode energy-exchange Channels on population inversion is examined. The importance of considering nonequilibrium processes in the infrasonic region of the nozzle is noted. The effect of inclined shock waves on flow characteristics in the supersonic nozzle region and population inversion is studied.