Client
U.S. Navy
Project Objectives
- Determine the effects of new high energy fuels on combustion instabilities in ramjet engines and develop control techniques to allow their use
- New high energy density fuels have recently been developed to improve rocket performance. There is concern that these new fuels may induce combustion instabilities in ramjet engines. Techniques to control these instabilities are desired if these problems occur.
Summary of Project and Results (Non-Confidential)
- Designed high energy fuel simulants utilizing liquid and gaseous fuels
- Designed and built a ramjet engine to test the high energy fuel simulants
- Tested a wide range of high energy fuel simulants in the ramjet engine. Measured combustion chamber reactant/product velocities, droplet sizes and velocities, reaction rates, flame characteristics, and instability phenomena using laser diagnostics.
- Formulated a mechanism to explain the triggering of combustion instabilities
- Developed a variety of techniques to control the onset of combustion instabilities and allow the use of high energy density fuels
Schlieren Image of the Reacting Vortex Formed During an Unstable Mode
CH Radical Emission of the Reacting Vortex Showing Regions of Heat Release