Experimental investigation of combustion mechanisms of kerosene-fueled scramjet engines with double-cavity flameholders

A scramjet combustor with double cavitybased flameholders was experimentally studied in a directconnected test bed with the inflow conditions of M = 2.64,Pt = 1.84 MPa,Tt = 1 300 K.Successful ignition and selfsustained combustion with room temperature kerosene was achieved using pilot hydrogen,and kerosene was vertically injected into the combustor through 4×φ 0.5 mm holes mounted on the wall.For different equivalence ratios and different injection schemes with both tandem cavities and parallel cavities,flow fields were obtained and compared using a high speed camera and a Schlieren system.Results revealed that the combustor inside the flow field was greatly influenced by the cavity installation scheme,cavities in tandem easily to form a single side flame distribution,and cavities in parallel are more likely to form a joint flame,forming a choked combustion mode.The supersonic combustion flame was a kind of diffusion flame and there were two kinds of combustion modes.In the unchoked combustion mode,both subsonic and supersonic combustion regions existed.While in the choked mode,the combustion region was fully subsonic with strong shock propagating upstream.Results also showed that there was a balance point between the boundary separation and shock enhanced combustion,depending on the intensity of heat release.     

Shock tunnel flow visualization using planar laser-induced fluorescence imaging of NO and OH

Temporal sequences of planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) images of several high-speed, transient flowfields created in a reflection-type shock tunnel facility were acquired. In each case, the test gas contained either nitric oxide or the hydroxyl radical, the fluorescent species. The processes of shock reflection from an endwall with a converging nozzle and of underexpanded free jet formation were examined. A comparison was also made between PLIF imaging and shadow photography. The investigation demonstrated some of the capabilities of PLIF imaging diagnostics in complex, transient, hypersonic flowfields, including those with combustion.Nomenclature A spontaneous emission rate - A _las cross sectional area of laser sheet - B laser absorption rate - C _opt constant dependent on optical arrangement, collection efficiency, etc. - D nozzle throat diameter - E _p laser pulse energy - f _J Boltzmann fraction of absorbing state - g spectral convolution of laser and absorption lineshapes - k Boltzmann constant - M _s incident shock Mach number - N noise, root-mean-square signal fluctuation - P static pressure - P ₁ initial pressure of test gas in shock tube - P _a free jet ambient pressure - P _s stagnation pressure - Q electronic quenching rate of excited state - S PLIF signal - t time between shock reflection and image acquisition - T static temperature - T _s stagnation temperature - _a mole fraction of absorbing species     

The isotope effect of gaseous hydrogen under shock compression

The shock compression method has been used to measure the Hugoniot data and shock temperature for gaseous hydrogen samples, covering the pressure range of 55-140 MPa and the temperature range of 3400-4500 K and with the initial conditions of P ₀ = 0.6 MPa, 1.2 MPa and T ₀ at room temperature. Spectral radiance histories emitted from shocked D ₂ and H ₂ + D ₂ (equimolar mixture) are monitored by a pyrometer system with seven wavelength channels. Theoretical calculations based on the Saha model with Debye-Hückel correction for the shock compression behavior of shocked gaseous samples are in good agreement with the measured Hugoniot data, but show slightly higher values for the shock temperature when comparing with experiments. An isotope effect relevant to these shocked hydrogen species has been found in the linear shock velocity vs particle velocity relation, in which the correlation factor between these hydrogen isotopes or hydrogen mixtures is simply of initial density dependence.Received: 8 December 2002, Accepted: 8 May 2003, Published online: 2 September 2003PACS: 62.50 + p, 31.30.GS, 51.90. + r     

Numerical study of choked cavitation in high temperature hydrocarbon liquid jets

A numerical study was conducted on a practical plain orifice injector issuing pressurized high-temperature aviation fuel, in order to simulate injection of fuel after use as a coolant in the active cooling system of a hypersonic vehicle. A three-dimensional unstructured mesh inside the orifice was created using ICEMCFD^TM S/W, and the CFD analysis was performed using FLUENT^TM S/W. A multiphase mixture model was used to simulate cavitating two-phase flow, and the full cavitation model was activated to predict the mechanism and effects of cavitation induced by the high fuel vapor pressures at elevated temperature conditions. The simulation was performed for fuel heated up to 553 K (280 °C) at an upstream pressure (P_inj) of up to 1.0 MPa, and various ambient pressures (P_∞). The results were compared with experimental data, and the simulation was found to predict the discharge coefficient (C_d) with respect to the fuel injection temperature (T_inj) quite well at the given conditions. The CFD analyses for high fuel temperature conditions revealed that the mainstream flow inside the injector separates from the orifice wall at the vena contracta due to the generated fuel vapor cavity, and the attached flow at the end of the cavity separates again to produce a very small recirculation zone. In addition, for a given pressure drop, the sharply decreasing trend of the mass flow rate (or C_d) with increasing T_inj varies depending on P_∞, because the mass flow choking is determined by the relationship between P_∞ and the vapor pressure (P_sat) at T_inj. Finally, C_d with respect to cavitation number was found to follow an almost identical line, even at different P_∞. This confirms that choked cavitation at high fuel temperature conditions depends on the downstream pressure of the orifice, and the effect of cavitation on C_d at high T_inj is well represented by the cavitation numbers, regardless of P_inj, P_∞, and T_inj.     

The criterion of the existence or inexistence of transverse shock wave at wedge supported oblique detonation wave

A simplified theoretic method and numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the characterization of propagation of transverse shock wave at wedge supported oblique detonation wave.After solution validation,a criterion which is associated with the ratio Φ (u 2 /u CJ) of existence or inexistence of the transverse shock wave at the region of the primary triple was deduced systematically by 38 cases.It is observed that for abrupt oblique shock wave (OSW)/oblique detonation wave (ODW) transition,a transverse shock wave is generated at the region of the primary triple when Φ < 1,however,such a transverse shock wave does not take place for the smooth OSW/ODW transition when Φ > 1.The parameter Φ can be expressed as the Mach number behind the ODW front for stable CJ detonation.When 0.9 < Φ < 1.0,the reflected shock wave can pass across the contact discontinuity and interact with transverse waves which are originating from the ODW front.When 0.8 < Φ < 0.9,the reflected shock wave can not pass across the contact discontinuity and only reflects at the contact discontinuity.The condition (0.8 < Φ < 0.9) agrees well with the ratio (D ave /D CJ) in the critical detonation.     

The conjugate heat transfer of the partially heated microchannels

In this paper, the conjugate heat transfer of the water flow inside the microtube (D _i/D _o = 0.1/03 and 0.1/0.5 mm) was investigated. The laminar regime was considered with Re up to 200, input heat transfer rate of Q ₀ = 0.1 W and variable thermophysical properties of the water. Two different cases of the partial joule heating were considered for the tube wall. In the first case the tube wall was heated near the inlet of the tube (upstream heating) while, in the second case, the outlet portion of the wall was heated (downstream heating). In order to investigate the influence of the tube material on the heat transfer behavior and limits of the axial conduction inside the wall, three different tube wall materials were considered, stainless steel (k = 15.9 W/m K), silicon (k = 189 W/m K) and copper (k = 398 W/m K).     

Supersonic H2-air combustions behind oblique shock waves

In order to study the mechanisms of initiation and stabilization of H₂-Air combustions (stoechiometric mixture initially atT ₀=293 K andp ₀=0.5 bar) in supersonic flow conditions behind an oblique shock wave (OSW), an original technique is used where OSW is generated in this mixture by the lateral expansion of the burnt gas behind a normal CJ gaseous detonation propagating into a bounding reactive mixture. Four Mach numberM of propagation of OSW are considered in the study, namelyM=7.7-6.1-4.4 and 3. Depending on the Mach numberM and inclinaison angle of OSW different regimes of combustion may occur in the driven mixture. For high values ofM (6.1 and 7.7) delayed steady overdriven oblique detonation waves (SODW) were obtained with a near CJ detonation wave as the critical regime. It was found that SODW obtained correspond quite well to prediction of the polar method. When thermal conditions behind the OSW are lower, either for high Mach number 6.1 and 7.7 for smaller angle than the previous case, or for lower Mach number, 4.4 and 3, the flame initiated at the apex is stabilized as a turbulent oblique flame behind the OSW. With much lower conditions, no combustion appears in the H₂-Air mixture.     

Measurement of Reflected-shock Bifurcation Over a Wide Range of Gas Composition and Pressure

To determine the extent and magnitude of reflected-shock bifurcation in shock-tube chemistry studies at elevated pressures, experiments were performed using a simple laser schlieren technique and a fast- response pressure transducer. The laser schlieren diagnostic provided a quantitative measurement of the normal-shock passage, an event normally obscured in pressure signals by the bifurcated region. A range of gas mixtures covering molecular weights from 14.7 to 44.0 and specific heat ratios from 1.29 to 1.51 was explored. The results were combined with a standard gas dynamic model to determine the time of arrival of the normal shock wave, the size and strength of the bifurcated region, and the characteristic passage times of dominant features. All results could be expressed in empirical correlations as functions of the gas properties and shock speed. The measured size of the bifurcation zone increased with increasing shock velocity and decreasing specific heat ratio, but displayed no pressure dependence for the conditions of this study (P ₅ = 11 − 265 atm., T ₅ = 780 − 1740 K).     

Temperature measurement of reflected shock wave by using chemical indicator

This report describes a new method for measuring the temperature of the gas behind the reflected shock wave in shock tube, corresponding to the reservoir temperature of a shock tunnel, based on the chemical reaction of small amount of CF₄ premixed in the test gas. The final product C₂F₄ is used as the temperature indicator, which is sampled and detected by a gas chromatography in the experiment. The detected concentration of C₂F₄ is correlated to the temperature of the reflected shock wave with the initial pressureP ₁ and test time τ as parameters in the temperature range 3 300 K<T<5 600 K, pressure range 5 kPa<P ₁<12 kPa and τ≅0.4 ms. The project supported by the China Aerodynamics Project for Basic Researches (J13.5.2 ZK04)     

Experimental investigation of the flow characteristics within a shallow wall cavity for both laminar and turbulent upstream boundary layers

The mean and turbulent flow fields were measured upstream, within, and downstream of a non-resonating shallow wall cavity subject to low Mach number flows with both laminar and turbulent upstream boundary layers. The laminar case displayed a cavity vortex that was stronger and more localized towards the trailing edge compared to the turbulent case with the same freestream velocity. The location of the maximum Reynolds shear stress in the shear layer rises slightly above the cavity mouth near the cavity centerline for the laminar case in contrast to the turbulent case, where it remains near or slightly below the cavity mouth across the entire cavity. Downstream of the cavity, the laminar and turbulent cases converged towards a common turbulent boundary layer. The non-resonating condition of the cavity was explored through comparisons with resonance criteria from previous experimental investigations.List of symbols D Depth of cavity - L Length of cavity in streamwise direction - M Mach number - Re Reynolds number based on U and L - Re Reynolds number based on U and - St Strouhal number based on frequency, L, and U - U Velocity of freestream (streamwise) flow - W Width of cavity - x, y, z Coordinates in streamwise, cavity depth, and cavity width directions - u Velocity in streamwise direction - v Velocity normal to streamwise direction (in cavity depth direction) - Reynolds shear stress - Average of the quantity - Boundary layer thickness immediately upstream of the cavity opening - * Boundary layer displacement thickness immediately upstream of the cavity opening - _t Eddy viscosity - Boundary layer momentum thickness immediately upstream of the cavity opening - Vorticity     

Pressure probe with five embedded flush-mounted sensors: unsteady pressure and velocity measurements in hydraulic turbine model

Picosecond Unstable-resonator Spatially Enhanced Detection Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (USED-CARS) is used for the measurement of nitrogen Q-branch (ΔJ = 0) spectra in the subsonic plenum and supersonic flow of a highly nonequilibrium Mach 5 wind tunnel. Spectra are processed to infer rotational/translational (T _rot) and first-level vibrational (T _vib) temperatures in the 200–370 torr plenum simultaneously. Operation of the nominally high reduced electric field (E/n _peak ~ 500 Td), nsec pulsed discharge alone results in fairly significant vibrational loading, T _vib ~ 720 K/T _rot ~ 380 K; addition of an orthogonal low E/n (~10 Td) DC sustainer discharge produces substantial vibrational loading, T _vib ~ 2,000 K/T _rot ~ 450 K. Effects of injection of CO₂, NO, and H₂ downstream of the pulser–sustainer discharge are examined, which result in vibrational relaxation accompanied by simultaneous gas heating, T _vib ~ 800–1,000 K/T _rot ~ 600 K. CARSk measurements within very low-density flows in the Mach 5 expansion nozzle are also performed, with T _vib measured in both the supersonic free-stream and downstream of a bow shock created by a 5-mm-diameter cylindrical test object in the Mach 5 flow. Measurements within 300 μm of the cylinder leading edge show that for pure N₂, or N₂ with 0.25 torr CO₂ injection, no vibrational relaxation is observed behind the bow shock.     

Performance of supersonic model combustors with staged injections of supercritical aviation kerosene

Supersonic model combustors using two-stage injections of supercritical kerosene were experimentally investigated in both Mach 2.5 and 3.0 model combustors with stagnation temperatures of approximately 1,750 K. Supercritical kerosene of approximately 760 K was prepared and injected in the overall equivalence ratio range of 0.5-1.46. Two pairs of integrated injector/flameholder cavity modules in tandem were used to facilitate fuel-air mixing and stable combustion. For single-stage fuel injection at an upstream location, it was found that the boundary layer separation could propagate into the isolator with increasing fuel equivalence ratio due to excessive local heat release, which in turns changed the entry airflow conditions. Moving the fuel injection to a further downstream location could alleviate the problem, while it would result in a decrease in combustion efficiency due to shorter fuel residence time. With two-stage fuel injections the overall combustor performance was shown to be improved and kerosene injections at fuel rich conditions could be reached without the upstream propagation of the boundary layer separation into the isolator. Furthermore, effects of the entry Mach number and pilot hydrogen on combustion performance were also studied.     

Heat transfer of gas-particle flow in a supersonic convergent-divergent nozzle

Summary Heat flux, wall heat transfer coefficients, and wall pressures are determined for high velocity flow of gas-solid mixtures in a converging-diverging nozzle. Flow separation accompanied with oblique shock formation occurs in the diverging section of the nozzle. The shock strength is reduced upon the addition of solid particles. The wall pressure in the convergent section of the nozzle appears unaffected by the presence of solid particles. In the divergent section, however, the wall pressure is slightly lowered. At the maximum ratio of solid to air flow used in the experiments (3.7) increases in the heat transfer rate of up to 20 and 50 percent are obtained in the convergent and separated (divergent) regions of the nozzle, respectively. Slightly larger increases in the wall heat transfer coefficients are also obtained. It is concluded that the wall heat flux and heat transfer coefficients are influenced strongly by the presence of disturbances upstream of the nozzle inlet.Nomenclature W _a air flow rate - W _s solids flow rate - x axial distance from nozzle entrance - L axial length of nozzle - specific heat ratio of fluid - A _e exit cross section of flow - A _* throat cross section of flow - P ₀ inlet pressure - P _s wall separation pressure - P _a ambient exhaust pressure - shock wave angle - shock wave deflection angle - M ₁ Mach number upstream of shock wave - Mach number normal to shock wave - q heat flux - k _f thermal conductivity of fluid - T _wi inside wall temperature - T _wo outside wall temperature - T _ad adiabatic wall temperature - h wall heat transfer coefficient - C nozzle constant - A local cross section of flow - c _p specific heat of fluid - Pr Prandtl number - viscosity of fluid - r _c throat radius of curvature - factor accounting for variation of and Units absolute temperature °R(ankine) °F+459.7 - conductivity 1 BTU (hr ft °F)^–1 4.137×10^–3 cal (s cm °C)^–1 - specific heat 1 BTU (1b °F)^–1 1 cal (g °C)^–1 - absolute pressure 1 psia 0.0680 atm Supported in part by aid provided by the UCLA Space Science Center (Grant NsG 236-62 Libby).Listed for readers not familiar with the units adopted in this paper (editor).     

Transonic Shock Problem for the Euler System in a Nozzle

In this paper, we study the well-posedness problem on transonic shocks for steady ideal compressible flows through a two-dimensional slowly varying nozzle with an appropriately given pressure at the exit of the nozzle. This is motivated by the following transonic phenomena in a de Laval nozzle. Given an appropriately large receiver pressure P _r , if the upstream flow remains supersonic behind the throat of the nozzle, then at a certain place in the diverging part of the nozzle, a shock front intervenes and the flow is compressed and slowed down to subsonic speed, and the position and the strength of the shock front are automatically adjusted so that the end pressure at exit becomes P _r , as clearly stated by Courant and Friedrichs [Supersonic flow and shock waves, Interscience Publishers, New York, 1948 (see section 143 and 147)]. The transonic shock front is a free boundary dividing two regions of C ^2,α flow in the nozzle. The full Euler system is hyperbolic upstream where the flow is supersonic, and coupled hyperbolic-elliptic in the downstream region Ω₊ of the nozzle where the flow is subsonic. Based on Bernoulli’s law, we can reformulate the problem by decomposing the 3 × 3 Euler system into a weakly coupled second order elliptic equation for the density ρ with mixed boundary conditions, a 2 × 2 first order system on u ₂ with a value given at a point, and an algebraic equation on (ρ, u ₁, u ₂) along a streamline. In terms of this reformulation, we can show the uniqueness of such a transonic shock solution if it exists and the shock front goes through a fixed point. Furthermore, we prove that there is no such transonic shock solution for a class of nozzles with some large pressure given at the exit. This research was supported in part by the Zheng Ge Ru Foundation when Yin Huicheng was visiting The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Xin is supported in part by Hong Kong RGC Earmarked Research Grants CUHK-4028/04P, CUHK-4040/06P, and Central Allocation Grant CA05-06.SC01. Yin is supported in part by NNSF of China and Doctoral Program of NEM of China.     

Exact solutions for the flow of second grade fluid in annulus between torsionally oscillating cylinders

The velocity field and the associated shear stress corresponding to the torsional oscillatory flow of a second grade fluid, between two infinite coaxial circular cylinders, are determined by means of the Laplace and Hankel transforms. At time t = 0, the fluid and both the cylinders are at rest and at t = 0 + , cylinders suddenly begin to oscillate around their common axis in a simple harmonic way having angular frequencies ω 1 and ω 2 . The obtained solutions satisfy the governing differential equation and all imposed initial and boundary conditions. The solutions for the motion between the cylinders, when one of them is at rest, can be obtained from our general solutions. Furthermore, the corresponding solutions for Newtonian fluid are also obtained as limiting cases of our general solutions.     

Rhythmic precipitate patterns and fractal structure

Liesegang patterns of parallel precipitate bands are obtained when solutions containing co-precipitate ions interdiffuse in a 1D gel matrix.The sparingly soluble salt formed,displays a beautiful stratification of discs of precipitate perpendicular to the 1D tube axis.The Liesegang structures are analyzed from the viewpoint of their fractal nature.Geometric Liesegang patterns are constructed in conformity with the well-known empirical laws such as the time,band spacing and band width laws.The dependence of the band spacing on the initial concentrations of diffusing(outer)and immobile(inner)electrolytes(A0 and B0,respectively)is taken to follow the Matalon-Packter law.Both mathematical fractal dimensions and box-count dimensions are calculated.The fractal dimension is found to increase with increasing A0 and decreasing B0.We also analyze mosaic patterns with random distribution of crystallites,grown under different conditions than the classical Liesegang gel method,and report on their fractal properties.Finally,complex Liesegang patterns wherein the bands are grouped in multiplets are studied,and it is shown that the fractal nature increases with the multiplicity.     

Longitudinal volume viscosity of poly (vinyl chloride)

The volume flow of poly (vinyl chloride) ( = 45,000,T _g = 350 K) has been measured in an Instron Capillary Rheometer.The elastic modulus in longitudinal compression, the longitudinal volume viscosity and initial longitudinal volume viscosity, and retardation times were determined at temperatures both below (324 – 343 K) and above (403 – 453 K) the glass transition temperatureT _g , and at compression rates between approximately 10^–5 and 200 · 10^–5 s^–1.An increase in the longitudinal volume viscosity was observed for decreases in the volume deformation, increases in the compression rate and increases in temperature.T _g decreased at 0.16 K/MPa. The volume flow activation energy was found to be equal to that for shear flow with a constant value of 91.37 kJ/mol.     

Modeling of vibration-dissociation oxygen kinetics at temperatures of 4,000-11,000 K

The time profiles of vibrational molecular oxygen temperature T _v measured earlier in experiments behind a strong shock wave were used for testing the theoretical and empirical models of thermal nonequilibrium dissociation of molecules. To do this, dissociating gas flows behind the strong shock wave front were calculated with account for these models. If the initial gas temperature behind the wave front T ₀ < 6.5×10³ K, the models well describe changing the temperature with time. However, for T ₀ > 7×10³ K neither of the models tested describes the measured temperature profiles satisfactorily. Using the empirical model proposed in the present study made it possible to satisfactorily describe the vibrational temperature evolution observed in experiments at temperatures up to 11×10³ K.     

Experimental investigation into the effect of heat transfer on compressible air stream in a duct

A converging nozzle-constant area parallel passage with an outer duct encasing the constant-area passage has been built for investigating the effect of heat transfer on subsonic flow of an air stream. It is concluded experimentally as can be predicted analytically that large quantities of heat are needed in order to accelerate very slow air stream (incompressible) to sonic conditions. It is observed experimentally as confirmed analytically, that the increase in Mach number with heat addition is associated with a decrease in the local static pressure along the axis of the duct. It could be concluded that any more heat added beyond thermal choking will be accompanied by a decrease in the mass flow rate of the compressible flowing air.Nomenclature A cross-sectional area of the duct - C _{P air} specific heat of air joules/kg. °K - C _d discharge coefficient - D duct diameter - d orifice diameter m - dA _d elemental lateral area of the duct - h overall heat transfer coefficient - h head across orifice, mm. - M Mach number - m _air mass flow rate of air - P local static pressure - P _b back pressure at duct outlet - P ₀₁ stagnation pressure at duct inlet - gas density - _u air density upstream of orifice - _q incremental heat flow - T local static temperature - T ₀₁ stagnation temperature at duct inlet - T _h hot water temperature - q heat added per kg of flowing air - V flow speed     

Scale-adaptive simulation of flow past wavy cylinders at a subcritical Reynolds number

The Xu & Yan scale-adaptive simulation (XYSAS) model is employed to simulate the flows past wavy cylinders at Reynolds number 8 × 10 3.This approach yields results in good agreement with experimental measurements.The mean flow field and near wake vortex structure are replicated and compared with that of a corresponding circular cylinder.The effects of wavelength ratios λ/D m from 3 to 7,together with the amplitude ratios a /D m of 0.091 and 0.25,are fully investigated.Owing to the wavy configuration,a maximum reduction of Strouhal number and root-meansquare (r.m.s) fluctuating lift coefficients are up to 50% and 92%,respectively,which means the vortex induced vibration (VIV) could be effectively alleviated at certain larger values of λ/D m and a /D m.Also,the drag coefficients can be reduced by 30%.It is found that the flow field presents contrary patterns with the increase of λ/D m.The free shear layer becomes much more stable and rolls up into mature vortex only further downstream when λ/D m falls in the range of 5-7.The amplitude ratio a /D m greatly changes the separation line,and subsequently influences the wake structures.