Experimental Investigation of Hydrocarbon-fuel Ignition in Scramjet Combustor

The direct-connected supersonic combustor experiment is finished for kerosene fuel ignition in H_2/O_2 preheated impulse facility. The entrance parameter of combustor corresponds to scramjet flight Mach number 3.5. Kerosene ignition is realized by using hydrogen as pilot flame. Wall pressure distributions of combustion are measured and flame photographs of ultraviolet ray are got. Experiment indicates that it is very difficult for kerosene fuel to realize self-ignition at low entrance temperature (below 900K) in supersonic combustor. Hydrogen pilot flame is one of the efficient methods for realizing kerosene ignition.

Experimental Study on Effects of Fuel Injection on Scramjet Combustor Performance

In order to investigate the effects of fuel injection distribution on the scrarnjet combustor performance, there are conducted three sets of test on a hydrocarbon fueled direct-connect scramjet test facility. The results of Test A, whose fuel injection is carried out with injectors located on the top-wall and the bottom-wall, show that the fuel injection with an appropriate close-front and centralized distribution would be of much help to optimize combustor performances. The results of Test B, whose fuel injection is performed at the optimal injection locations found in Test A, with a given equivalence ratio and different injection proportions for each injector, show that this injection mode is of little benefit to improve combustor performances. The results of Test C with a circumferential fuel injection distribution displaies the possibility of ameliorating combustor performance. By analyzing the effects of injection location parameters on combustor performances on the base of the data of Test C, it is clear that the injector location has strong coupled influences on combustor performances. In addition, an irmer-force synthesis specific impulse is used to reduce the errors caused by the disturbance of fuel supply and working state of air heater while assessing combustor performances.

THREE—DIMENSIONAL GAS TURBINE COMBUSTOR PERFORMANCE MODELING

Numerical analysis of three-dimensional(3-D)two-phase reacting flowfield in an annular combustor wity the dump diffuser is developed in arbitrary curvilinear coordi-nates.Combustor performances are estimated by the em-pirical-analytical desing method.Ths influence of three inlet velocity profiles of the prediffuser and two operating conditions on combustor preformance and flow character-istic is predicted.

Influence of propagation direction on operation performance of rotating detonation combustor with turbine guide vane

Due to the pressure gain combustion characteristics,the rotating detonation combustor(RDC)can enhance thermodynamic cycle efficiency.Therefore,the performance of gas-turbine engine can be further improved with this combustion technology.In the present study,the RDC operation performance with a turbine guide vane(TGV)is experimentally investigated.Hydrogen and air are used as propellants while hydrogen and air mass flow rate are about 16.1 g/s and 500 g/s and the equivalence ratio is about 1.0.A pre-detonator is used to ignite the mixture.High-frequency dynamic pressure transducers and silicon pressure sensors are employed to measure pressure oscillations and static pressure in the combustion chamber.The experimental results show that the steady propagation of rotating detonation wave(RDW)is observed in the combustion chamber and the mean propagation velocity is above 1650 m/s,reaching over 84%of theoretical Chapman-Jouguet detonation velocity.Clockwise and counterclockwise propagation directions of RDW are obtained.For clockwise propagation direction,the static pressure is about 15%higher in the combustor compared with counterclockwise propagation direction,but the RDW dominant frequency is lower.When the oblique shock wave propagates across the TGV,the pressure oscillations reduces significantly.In addition,as the detonation products flow through the TGV,the static pressure drops up to 32%and 43%for clockwise and counterclockwise propagation process respectively.

Numerical study of convective heat transfer of a supersonic combustor with varied inlet flow conditions

Characteristics of convective heat transfer of a supersonic model combustor with variable inlet flow conditions were studied by numerical simulation in this paper.The three-dimensional flow and wall heat flux at different air inlet Mach numbers of 2.2,2.8 and 3.2 were studied numerically with Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with a shear-stress transport(SST)k-ωturbulence model and a three-step reaction model.Meanwhile,ethylene was chosen as the fuel,and the fixed fuel-to-air equivalence ratio is 0.8 in all cases in this paper.The results of the simulations indicate that wall heat flux distribution of the combustor is very non-uniform with several peaks of wall heat flux at varied locations.For the low inlet Mach number of 2.2,a shock train structure is formed in the isolator,and three peaks of wall heat flux are located respectively on the backward face of the cavity,on the side wall near the fuel injection and on the bottom wall near the injection holes,and a maximum wall heat flux reaches 5.4 MW/m2.For the medium inlet Mach number of 2.8,there exists a much shorter shock structure with three peaks of wall heat flux similar to that of Mach number 2.2.However,as the inlet Mach number increased to 3.2,there is no shock structure upstream of fuel injections,and the combustor flow is in a supersonic mode with different locations and values of wall heat flux peaks.The statistical results of wall heat loading show that the change of total wall heat is not monotonic with the increase of inlet Mach number,and the maximum appears in the case of Mach number being 2.8.Meanwhile,for all the cases,the bottom wall takes up more than 50%of the total heat loading.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON SWIRLING AND RECIRCULATING TWO-PHASE FLOW FIELD IN A COLD MODEL OF DUAL-INLET SUDDEN-EXPANSION COMBUSTOR

The axial and tangential velocities of gas and particle phases and particle concentration for turbulent swirling and recirculating gas particle (simulating gas droplet) flows in a cold model of a dual inlet sudden expansion combustor with partially tangential central tubes, proposed by the present authors, were measured by using a 2 D LDV system and a laser optic fiber system combined with a sampling probe. The results show that there are both gas and particle strongly reverse flows and swirling flows in the head part of the combustor. The velocity slip between gas and particle phases is remarkable. The particle concentration is higher near the wall and lower near the axis. There are two peaks in the concentration profiles near the inlet tubes. The above obtained flow characteristics are favorable to ignition, flame stabilization and combustion. The results can also be used to validate the numerical modeling.

Studies of a combined way of flame stability in ramjet combustor

numerical simulation was conducted to study the influence of bleeding. The Euler-Lagrange method was used to investigate the two-phase turbulent combustion flow. Standard k-ε turbulent model was adopted in the continuous phase simulation and particle-trajectory model was adopted in the dispersed phase simulation. The results demonstrates: air bleeding can improve the flow field after the strut and the stability of trapped vortex in the cavity; change of bleeding temperature has little effect on the total pressure recovery coefficient and significant effect on combustion efficiency; When fuel-air ratio changes, the combustor performs better in a lean oil state.

OPTIMIZATION OF A PULSE COMBUSTOR FOR A DISPERSE DRYING SYSTEM

The paper summarises the development and optimisation of a valveless pulse combus-tor designed as a heating source for drying in disperse systems. The basic research dealt with changing of the pulse combustor geometry, e. g. the volume of a combustion chamber and tail pipe length to obtain smooth trajectory of pressure oscillations and low emission of toxic substances. The pulse combustion mechanism and existing designs of pulse combustors applied in drying have been presented and analysed. Examples of specific applications of this technique are delivered.

NUMERICAL MODELING OF 3-D TURBULENT TWO-PHASE FLOW AND COAL COMBUSTION IN A PULVERIZED-COAL COMBUSTOR

In the present paper, a multifluid model of two-phase flows with pulverized-coal combustion, based on a continuum-trajectory model with reacting particle phase, is developed and employed to simulate the 3-D turbulent two-phase hows and combustion in a new type of pulverized-coal combustor with one primary-air jet placed along the wall of the combustor. The results show that: (1) this continuum-trajectory model with reacting particle phase can be used in practical engineering to qualitatively predict the flame stability, concentrations of gas species, possibilities of slag formation and soot deposition, etc.; (2) large recirculation zones can be created in the combustor, which is favorable to the ignition and flame stabilization.

Improved Robust Adaptive Control of a Fluidized Bed Combustor for Sewage Sludge

This paper presents a robust model reference adaptive control scheme to deal with un-certain time delay in the dynamical model of a ?uidized bed combustor for sewage sludge. Thetheoretical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed scheme can guarantee not onlystability and robustness, but also the adaptive decoupling performance of the system.

Effect of Swirl Preset Vorticity on Combustion Performance of Lobe Nozzle Combustor Chamber

To improve the combustor performance of multi-point injection combustion,lobe nozzle design was applied to the aero-engine model combustor,by presetting the swirl through a certain twisted angle of the edge of the lobe outlet.Numerical simulation in combination with modelling test is used in this paper.The effects of swirl vorticity presetting onto the vortex structure,the characteristics of combustion temperature field,the combustor exit temperature field quality,the combustion efficiency,and the NOx emissions of multi-point injection combustion chamber are investigated.Compared with the conventional vortex flow at the lobe outlet edge,the results of numerical simulation and water modelling test of the swirl vorticity presetting show that the swirl presetting can efficiently enhance the range and intensity of the lobe-induced vorticities.Besides,it can improve the uniformity of the combustion temperature in the combustor chamber,together with the reduced emissions of the pollutant NOx.Moreover,compared with the conventional lobe nozzle chamber,the swirl vortex presetting can effectively improve its combustion performance.The flow simulation test results demonstrate the fluid vortex structure in the combustion chamber and validate the simulation results.

An analytical theory of heated duct flows in supersonic combustors

One-dimensional analytical theory is developed for supersonic duct flow with variation of cross section, wall friction, heat addition, and relations between the inlet and outlet flow parameters are obtained. By introducing a self- similar parameter, effects of heat releasing, wall friction, and change in cross section area on the flow can be normalized and a self-similar solution of the flow equations can be found. Based on the result of self-similar solution, the sufficient and necessary condition for the occurrence of thermal choking is derived. A re- lation of the maximum heat addition leading to thermal choking of the duct flow is derived as functions of area ratio, wall friction, and mass addition, which is an extension of the classic Rayleigh flow theory, where the effects of wall friction and mass addition are not considered. The present work is expected to provide fundamentals for developing an integral analytical theory for ramjets and scramjets.

Progress in Research on 20 MWt Coal-fired MHD Slagging Combustor

In this paper a brief introduction on design features,process of hot-fire check out testsand typical testing results of a 20 MWt coal-fired MHD slagging combustor is presented.Onthe basis of the testing results we conclude that all the design requirements of the combustorare satisfied.Analysis on the experimental results is also made.The reasons that causeslower rate of slag rejection are discussed,and the ways of raising slag rejection rate are con-sidered.

Effect of Hole Size on Flow Structure and Mixing Characteristic in a Multi-Hole Baffled Micro Combustor

Flow structure and mixing properties by the baffle shape are numerically studied for a baffled micro combustor. The baffle shape is changed by various fuel and hole sizes. The numerical simulations based on different geometric conditions are performed by using the Reynolds Stress Model. The fuel-air mixing is greatly affected by flow recirculations. The centrally located flow recirculation has an important role for the entire mixing performance. The results show that this feature depends on the baffle configurations, and the baffle with small air holes represents efficient characters.

Flame quenching process in cavity based on model scramjet combustor

The flame quenching process in combustors was observed by high speed camera and Schlieren system, at the inflow conditions of Ma = 2.64, To = 1483K, P0 = 1.65 MPa, T = 724 K and P -- 76.3 kPa. Changing process of the flame and shock structure in the combustor was clearly observed. The results revealed that the precom- bustion shock disappeared accompanied with the process in which the flame was blown out and withdrawed from the mainflow into the cavity and vanished after a short while. The time of quenching process was extended by the cavity flame holder, and the ability of flame holding was enhanced by arranging more cavities in the downstream as well. The flame was blown from the upstream to the downstream, so the flame in the downstream of the cavity was quenched out later than that in the upstream.

Kinetic Study of Sulfur Dioxide Elimination by Limestone through the Lab Scale Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustor

Characteristics of sulfur dioxide emission from coal and petroleum coke combustion were examined in a lab scale circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustor. The rate constant of the first order rate expression for the absorption SO2 on the CaO surface was similar regardless of the origin of the limestone, the particle size and the initial SO2 concentration. However, the total SO2 absorption capacity was different depending on the origin of the limestone. The breakability of the particle which provides new surface for the reaction seems to play a major role in the absorption characteristics.

Evaluating the Energy Efficiency Performance of a Micro Combustor with and without Heat Recuperation

Micro-combustion research works are motivated by development of portable, autonomous power generators such as the micro TPV with improvement in energy density over batteries. Heat recuperation is a technique which contributes to better energy efficiency performance by recovering heat from the exhaust gas. In this paper, a numerical simulation is carried out to study the impact of incorporating recuperation on the performance of micro modular combustor system. The simulation results have been validated by experiments;achieving close agreement between simulated and experi-mental data. It was observed that the mean wall temperature, radiation power and emitter efficiency markedly improved with the incorporation of a heat recuperator. In addition, 25.8% enhancement of total radiation power and 30.6% emitter efficiency could be realized when the hydrogen air equivalence ratio was 0.9.

A Non-Dimensional Consideration in Combustor Axial Stress Computations

Thermal stresses in the combustor of gas-turbines are computed using non-dimensional parameters. Buckingham pi theorem was used to arrange the listed relevant parameters into non-dimensional groups. In testing the validity of the functional relation of the non-dimensional independent parameters, use is made of the prevailing temperatures of the combustor in operation. A computer program was used to enhance computations. The results showed an interesting way of influencing the axial stresses. To reduce stresses in gas-turbine combustors, a method of varying the independent parameter that is of radius ratio oriented and thickness dependent was adopted. This showed a reduction of the axial stresses to minimal levels using the parameters. Plots were made and a point of inflection that manifested itself in the presentation of the axial stress function was further investigated upon. It turned out to be a point of abnormal stress level and out-of-trend temperature profile. The use of non-dimensional consideration proved adequate in the computation of axial stresses. The results showed a 2 percent difference from existing values of stresses got from a transient thermal loading of a combustor.

Design Optimization of a Micro-Combustor for Lean, Premixed Fuel-Air Mixtures

Present technology has been shifting towards miniaturization of devices for energy production for portable electronics. Micro-combustors, when incorporated into a micro-power generation system, create the energy desired in the form of hot gases to power such technology. This creates the need for a design optimization of the micro-combustor in terms of geometry, fuel choice, and material selection. A total of five micro-combustor geometries, three fuels, and three materials were computationally simulated in different configurations in order to determine the optimal micro-combustor design for highest efficiency. Inlet velocity, equivalence ratio, and wall heat transfer coefficient were varied in order to test a comprehensive range of micro-combustor parameters. All simulations completed for the optimization study used ANSYS Fluent v16.1 and post-processing of the data was done in CFD Post v16.1. It was found that for lean, premixed fuel-air mixtures (φ= 0.6 - 0.9) ethane (C2H6) provided the highest flame temperatures when ignited within the micro-combustor geometries. An aluminum oxide converging micro-combustor burning ethane and air at an equivalence ratio of 0.9, an inlet velocity of 0.5 m/s, and heat transfer coefficient of 5 W/m2-K was found to produce the highest combustor efficiency, making it the optimal choice for a micro-combustor design. It is proposed that this geometry be experimentally and computationally investigated further in order to determine if additional optimization can be achieved.

Experimental Study of Ethylene Combustion in a Scramjet Combustor

In this paper the ignition characteristics of gaseous ethylene hydrocarbon fuel is investigated in the supersonic clean airstreams experimental facility with a resistance heater. The generic cavity flame holder is used to create recirculation and promote the fuel/air mixing at the lower wall of the combustor. Three different injection concepts are considered in this research ： （ 1 ） ethylene injection upstream of the cavity ; （2） ethylene and hydrogen injection upstream of the cavity simultaneously; （ 3 ）ethylene injection preceded by pilot hydrogen injection. The pilot injection showed to be a supportive tool for holding the flame of the main normal ethylene fuel injection. Therefore, using pilot hydrogen injection and cavity configuration necessitates optimizing the combustor length to ensure the complete combustion and the full liberation of the chemical energy stored in the fuel before exiting the combustor.The present study proved the possibility of igniting the ethylene and maintaining its flame in the supersonic airstreams.