Preliminary discussion on the ignition mechanism of exploding foil initiators igniting boron potassium nitrate

Exploding foil initiator(EFI)is a kind of advanced device for initiating explosives,but its function is unstable when it comes to directly igniting pyrotechnics.To solve the problem,this research aims to reveal the ignition mechanism of EFIs directly igniting pyrotechnics.An oscilloscope,a photon Doppler velocimetry,and a plasma spectrum measurement system were employed to obtain information of electric characteristics,impact pressure,and plasma temperature.The results of the electric characteristics and the impact pressure were inconsistent with ignition results.The only thing that the ignition success tests had in common was that their plasma all had a relatively long period of high-temperature duration(HTD).It eventually concludes that the ignition mechanism in this research is the microconvection heat transfer rather than the shock initiation,which differs from that of exploding foil initiators detonating explosives.Furthermore,the methods for evaluating the ignition success of semiconductor bridge initiators are not entirely applicable to the tests mentioned in this paper.The HTD is the critical parameter for judging the ignition success,and it is influenced by two factors:the late time discharge and the energy of the electric explosion.The longer time of the late time discharge and the more energy of the electric explosion,the easier it is to expand the HTD,which improves the probability of the ignition success.

A Steam-Plasma Igniter for Aluminum Powder Combustion

High-temperature ignition is essential for the ignition and combustion of energetic metal fuels, including aluminum and magnesium particles which are protected by their high- melting-temperature oxides. A plasma torch characterized by an ultrahigh-temperature plasma plume fulfills such high-temperature ignition conditions. A new steam plasma igniter is designed and successfully validated by aluminum power ignition and combustion tests. The steam plasma rapidly stabilizes in both plasma and steam jet modes. Parametric investigation of the steam plasma jet is conducted in terms of arc strength. A high-speed camera and an oscilloscope method visualize the discharge characteristics, and optical emission spectroscopy measures the thermochemical properties of the plasma jet. The diatomic molecule OH fitting method, the Boltzmann plot method, and short exposure capturing with an intensified charge coupled device record the axial distributions of the rotational gas temperature, excitation temperature, and OH radical distribution, respectively. The excitation temperature at the nozzle tip is near 5500 K, and the gas temperature is 5400 K.

Experimental study on energy characteristics and ignition performance of recessed multichannel plasma igniter

In the extreme conditions of high altitude,low temperature,low pressure,and high speed,the aircraft engine is prone to flameout and difficult to start secondary ignition,which makes reliable ignition of combustion chamber at high altitude become a worldwide problem.To solve this problem,a kind of multichannel plasma igniter with round cavity is proposed in this paper,the three-channel and five-channel igniters are compared with the traditional ones.The discharge energy of the three igniters was compared based on the electric energy test and the thermal energy test,and ignition experiments was conducted in the simulated high-altitude environment of the component combustion chamber.The results show that the recessed multichannel plasma igniter has higher discharge energy than the conventional spark igniter,which can increase the conversion efficiency of electric energy from 26%to 43%,and the conversion efficiency of thermal energy from 25%to 73%.The recessed multichannel plasma igniter can achieve greater spark penetration depth and excitation area,which both increase with the increase of height.At the same height,the inlet flow helps to increase the penetration depth of the spark.The recessed multichannel plasma igniter can widen the lean ignition boundary,and the maximum enrichment percentage of lean ignition boundary can reach 31%.

Experimental investigation on electrical characteristics and ignition performance of multichannel plasma igniter

Relighting of jet engines at high altitudes is very difficult because of the high velocity, low pressure, and low tempera- ture of the inlet airflow. Successful ignition needs sufficient ignition energy to generate a spark kernel to induce a so-called critical flame initiation radius. However, at high altitudes with high-speed inlet airflow, the critical flame initiation radius becomes larger; therefore, traditional ignition technologies such as a semiconductor igniter （SI） become infeasible for use in high-altitude relighting of jet engines. In this study, to generate a large spark kernel to achieve successful ignition with high-speed inlet airflow, a new type of multichannel plasma igniter （MCPI） is proposed. Experiments on the electrical char- acteristics of the MCPI and SI were conducted under normal and sub-atmospheric pressures （P = 10-100 kPa）. Ignition experiments for the MCPI and SI with a kerosene/air mixture in a triple-swirler combustor under different velocities of inlet airflow （60-110 m/s）, with a temperature of 473 K at standard atmospheric pressure, were investigated. Results show that the MCPI generates much more arc discharge energy than the SI under a constant pressure; for example, the MCPI generated 6.93% and 16.05 % more arc discharge energy than that of the SI at 30 kPa and 50 kPa, respectively. Compared to the SI, the MCPI generates a larger area and height of plasma heating zone, and induces a much larger initial spark kernel. Furthermore, the lean ignition limit of the MCPI and SI decreases with an increase in the velocity of the inlet airflow, and the maximum velocity of inlet airflow where the SI and MCPI can achieve successful and reliable ignition is 88.7 m/s and 102.2 m/s, respectively. Therefore, the MCPI has the advantage of achieving successful ignition with high-speed inlet airflow and extends the average ignition speed boundary of the kerosene/air mixture by 15.2%.

Velocity analysis of supersonic jet flow in double-cone ignition scheme

In the double-cone ignition schemes(DCIS), the deuterium–tritium target shell is ablated and compressed by a highpower nanosecond laser in Au-cones to generate plasmas. Under the actions of spherically symmetric compression and acceleration along the Au cone, they will be ejected out of the cone mouth and collide with each other. The plasmas experience conversion from kinetic energy to internal energy at the vertex of the geometric center of two Au cones that are symmetric to each other, because of which high-density fusion plasmas are preheated. This key physical process has undergone experimental verification on the Shenguang-II upgraded facility in China. Apparently, the improvement and optimization of the velocity of plasmas in hypersonic jet flow at the cone mouth are crucial for the success of the DCIS. In the DCIR7 experiment of the Shenguang-II upgraded facility, a velocity yield of approximately 130–260 km/s was achieved for the plasmas at the cone mouth, with a result of nearly 300 km/s based on numerical simulation. In this paper, theoretical analysis is performed as regards the process, in which target shells are ablated and compressed by laser to generate highvelocity plasmas ejected through jet flow. Based on this analysis, the formula for the velocity of plasmas in supersonic jet flow at the cone mouth is proposed. This study also provides measures that are more effective for improving the kinetic energy of plasmas and optimizing energy conversion efficiency, which can serve as theoretical references for the adjustment and optimization of processes in subsequent experiments.

Electrical Characteristics of an Alternating Current Plasma Igniter in Airflow

The electrical characteristics of an alternating current （AC） plasma igniter were investigated for a working gas of air at atmospheric pressure. The discharge voltage and current were measured in air in both breakdown and stable combustion processes, respectively, and the current-zero phenomena, voltage-current （V-I） characteristics were studied for different working gas flow rates. The results indicated that the working gas between anode and cathode could be ionized to generate gas discharge when the voltage reached 8 kV, and the maximum current was 33.36 A. When the current came to zero, current-zero phenomena appeared with duration of 2 #s. At the current-zero moment, dynamic resistance between electrodes became extremely high, and the maximum value could reach 445 kf~, which was the main factor to restrain the current. With increasing working gas flow rates, the gradient of V-I characteristic curves was increased, as was the dynamic resistance. At a constant driven power, the discharge voltage increased.

Discharge and jet characteristics of gliding arc plasma igniter driven by pressure difference

Stable combustion in an afterburner can help increase the thrust of the engine in a short time,thereby improving the maneuverability of a fighter.To improve the ignition performance of an afterburner,a twin-duct ignition platform was designed to study the performance of a gliding arc plasma igniter in close-to-real afterburner conditions.The research was carried out by a combination of experiments and simulations.The working environment of the igniter was explored through a numerical simulation.The results showed that the airflow ejected from the radiating holes formed a swirling sheath,which increased the anti-interference ability of the airflow jet.The influence of the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of the igniter(Δp),the flow rate outside the igniter outlet(W_(2)),and the installation angle(α)on the singlecycle discharge energy(E)as well as the maximum arc length(L)were studied through experiments.Three stages were identified:the airflow breakdown stage,the arc evolution stage,and the arc fracture stage.E and L increased by 107.3%and 366.2%,respectively,withΔp increasing from 10 to 70 Torr.The relationship between L andΔp obtained by data fitting is L=3-2.47/(1+(Δp/25)^(4)).The relationship of L at differentαis L_(α=0°)>(L_(α=45°)and L_(α=135°))>L_(α=180°)>L_(α=90°).E and L decrease by 18.2%and 37.3%,respectively,whenΔp=45 Torr and W_(2) is increased from 0 to 250 l min^(-1).

Study on the ignition process of a segmented plasma torch

Direct current plasma torches have been applied to generate unique sources of thermal energy in many industrial applications. Nevertheless, the successful ignition of a plasma torch is the key process to generate the unique source （plasma jet）. However, there has been tittle study on the underlying mechanism of this key process. A thorough understanding of the ignition process of a plasma torch will be helpful for optimizing the design of the plasma torch structure and selection of the ignition parameters to prolong the service life of the ignition module. Thus, in this paper, the ignition process of a segmented plasma torch （SPT） is theoretically and experimentally modeled and analyzed. Corresponding electrical models of different stages of the ignition process axe set up and used to derive the electrical parameters, e.g. the variations of the arc voltage and arc current between the cathode and anode. In addition, the experiments with different ignition parameters on a home-made SPT have been conducted. At the same time, the variations of the arc voltage and arc current have been measured, and used to verify the ones derived in theory and to determine the optimal ignition parameters for a particular SPT.

Mechanism of plasma ignition in electrothermal-chemical launcher

Plasma generator is a core component in an electrothermal-chemical(ETC) launcher. Its work state directly influences the launch efficiency of a system. The interaction between plasma and propellants is a very important mechanism in ETC technology. Based on the transient radiation model and open air plasma jet experiment, the mechanism of plasma ignition process is analyzed. Results show that the surface temperature of local solid propellant grain can quickly achieve the ignition temperature under the action of early transient plasma radiation. But it needs enough time to maintain the high energy flow to make self-sustained combustion of solid propellant grains. Because of the limited space characteristics of transient radiation, the near-field propellant grains can gain enough energy by the strong transient radiation to be ignited and achieve self-sustained combustion. The far-field propellant grains mainly gain the energy by the activated particles in plasma jet to be ignited and self-sustained combustion. Experiments show that plasma jet always has a high flow velocity in the area of the cartridge. Compared with conventional ignition, the solid propellant grains can obtain more quick and uniform ignition and self-sustained combustion by this kind of ablation controlled arc(ACA) plasma via energy skin effect of propellant grains, pre-heat temperature mechanism and high efficient jet diffusion.

Comparative analysis of the effects of gunpowder and plasma ignition in closed vessel tests

This paper presents the results of a comparative investigation into the effects of the ignition method on the ballistic properties of a single-base gun propellant,as determined via closed vessel tests.Conventional gunpowder ignition and plasma jet ignition methods were used,and differences in the ignition time were analysed.The influence of the ignition method on the dynamic vivacity is discussed.It is shown that this influence is significant in the first phase of the combustion process,and with respect to the low values of the loading density.In the second phase of the combustion process,and for large values of the loading density,the dynamic vivacity plots for the two ignition methods converge.Regarding the burning law,close values of the exponent were obtained for the two ignition methods.The dynamic vivacity plots determined for plasma ignition reveal stronger dependence on the loading density than those determined for gunpowder ignition.The conclusion is that plasma ignition is not a solution to the problems inherent to the process of determining the ballistic properties of propellants,which results in deviation of the burning process from the geometric burning law.

In depth fusion flame spreading with a deuterium-tritium plane fuel density profile for plasma block ignition

Solid-state fuel ignition was given by Chu and Bobin according to the hydrodynamic theory at x = 0 qualitatively. A high threshold energy flux density, i.e., E＊ = 4.3 × 10^12 J/m2, has been reached. Recently, fast ignition by employing clean petawatt-picosecond laser pulses was performed. The anomalous phenomena were observed to be based on suppression of prepulses. The accelerated plasma block was used to ignite deuterium tritium fuel at solid-state density. The detailed analysis of the thermonuclear wave propagation was investigated. Also the fusion conditions at x ≠ 0 layers were clarified by exactly solving hydrodynamic equations for plasma block ignition. In this paper, the applied physical mechanisms are determined for nonlinear force laser driven plasma blocks, thermonuclear reaction, heat transfer, electro,ion equilibration, stopping power of alpha particles, bremsstrahlung, expansion, density dependence, and fluid dynamics. New ignition conditions may be obtained by using temperature equations, including the density profile that is obtained by the continuity equation and expansion velocity. The density is only a function of x and independent of time. The ignition energy flux density, Et＊, for the x ≠ 0 layers is 1.95 × 1012 J/m2. Thus threshold ignition energy in comparison with that at x =0 layers would be reduced to less than 50 percent.

Ignition Conditions for Simulated Fuel Pellets in Degenerate Plasma

A high-density, low-temperature plasma can be obtained during the compression phase in inertial confinement fusion. When high density and low temperature are reached in the plasma in the fast ignition approach, the plasma electrons can be degenerate. The electronic stopping of a slow ion is smaller than that given by the classical formula, because some transitions between the electron states are forbidden. In this case, bremsstrahlung emission is strongly sup- pressed and the ignition temperature becomes lower than that in classical plasma. The equations that predict the behavior of these plasmas are different from the classical ones, and this is the main factor in the process of decreasing the ignition temperature of the plasma. In this work, physical conditions of ignition are studied by calculating the effect of radiation loss on the ignition temperature for a simulated fuel pellet, （D/Tx/3Hey）, in degenerate plasma. In fast ignition, the energy needed for obtaining high densities is minimized and the gain can be increased considerably.

Application study on plasma ignition in aeroengine strut–cavity–injector integrated afterburner

To increase the thrust-weight ratio in next-generation military aeroengines,a new integrated afterburner was designed in this study.The integrated structure of a combined strut–cavity–injector was applied to the afterburner.To improve ignition characteristics in the afterburner,a new method using a plasma jet igniter was developed and optimized for application in the integrated afterburner.The effects of traditional spark igniters and plasma jet igniters on ignition processes and ignition characteristics of afterburners were studied and compared with the proposed design.The experimental results show that the strut–cavity–injector combination can achieve stable combustion,and plasma ignition can improve ignition characteristics.Compared with conventional spark ignition,plasma ignition reduced the ignition delay time by 67 ms.Additionally,the ignition delay time was reduced by increasing the inlet velocity and reducing the excess air coefficient.This investigation provides an effective and feasible method to apply plasma ignition in aeroengine afterburners and has potential engineering applications.

Influence of ignition condition on the growth of silicon thin films using plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition

The influences of the plasma ignition condition in plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） on the interfaces and the microstructures of hydrogenated microcrystalline Si （μc-Si：H） thin films are investigated. The plasma ignition condition is modified by varying the ratio of Sill4 to H2 （RH）. For plasma ignited with a constant gas ratio, the time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy presents a low value of the emission intensity ratio of Ha to Sill＊ （Iuα//SiH＊） at the initial stage, which leads to a thick amorphous incubation layer. For the ignition condition with a profiling RH, the higher IHα/ISiH＊ values are realized. By optimizing the RN modulation, a uniform crystallinity along the growth direction and a denser αc-Si：H film can be obtained. However, an excessively high IRα/ISIH＊ may damage the interface properties, which is indicated by capacitance-voltage （C-V） measurements. Well controlling the ignition condition is critically important for the applications of Si thin films.

氩气氛围下微波辅助点火机理

基于自行搭建的微波辅助点火(MAI)试验台架,引入高时间分辨率的电气诊断系统,对比了N_(2)氛围和Ar氛围对微波辅助点火核心发展的影响,并从微波等离子体形成和放电电流演变等方面探究了MAI点火核心发展的内在机制.结果表明:当量比为0.80时,N_(2)氛围和Ar氛围中的微波增强作用均与微波等离子体的强度明显相关,但二者等离子体生成特征存在明显区别,Ar氛围中微波等离子体的生成阈值更低.将Ar氛围的当量比降低至0.65时,微波等离子体的生成特征与当量比为0.80的Ar氛围中基本一致,与当量比为0.80的N_(2)氛围存在显著差异,故微波等离子体的生成特征主要由工质氛围决定.用电气诊断系统得到的微波辅助放电窗口能定量表征微波等离子体的强度,同时,微波等离子体强度与微波对点火核心的增强效果呈线性相关.最终明确了微波辅助点火存在两个作用窗口,分别是增强火花放电的微波辅助放电窗口和增强点火核心的微波辅助点火窗口,二者共同作用决定着微波增强的最终效果.

等容预压缩等离子体中的快点火热斑形成与燃烧波传播

研究热斑点火物理过程对于实现聚变点火和高增益聚变放能具有重要意义,但是,迄今为止的大部分相关研究都是针对等压构型预压缩等离子体进行的,对等容构型预压缩等离子体中的热斑点火过程研究尚不充分.本文针对双锥对撞点火方案产生的等容预压缩高密度等离子体,建立了描述热斑边界演化和核聚变燃烧的半解析模型.该模型表明,在等容预压缩高密度等离子体中的热斑边界,可以用对热斑产生的α粒子具有强烈吸收作用的激波波峰的位置来定义,且等容预压缩等离子体中的热斑点火过程也存在α粒子射程主导的自调节现象.通过考虑α粒子的空间不均匀沉积效应,可以利用该模型描述等容预压缩等离子体中热斑内部的温度和密度演化.使用该模型分析热斑在点火初期时刻的劳森参数和平均热斑温度发现,在快电子总能量相同情况下,能量较低的快电子束更有利于实现点火.辐射流体模拟程序O-SUKI-N的验证计算表明,本文提出的半解析模型的计算结果具有较强的合理性.

新型等离子体点火技术在火电灵活性中的应用分析

近年来在国家政策的主导下,风电等新能源得到了快速发展,新能源的消纳问题也随之凸显出来,灵活性调峰是解决这一问题的有效措施。等离子体点火技术是一项卓有成效的低负荷稳燃措施,可满足深度调峰需求,有效提高火电机组对新能源发电的消纳能力。针对传统等离子体技术在火电灵活性应用中存在的问题,提出一种新型等离子体点火技术。该技术可使发生器阴极寿命提升至500 h以上,阳极寿命提升至1000 h以上;提高了煤质适应性,可适用于大部分燃用烟煤的电厂;而且点火过程中对燃烧器内燃强度有较好的控制,不易发生超温结焦现象。

单头部模型燃烧室滑动弧等离子体点火数值仿真研究

针对航空发动机燃烧室内滑动弧等离子体点火的特性,采用数值模拟的方法对航空发动机单头部模型燃烧室进行滑动弧等离子体点火研究,将滑动弧等离子体简化为动态热源,并将滑动弧等离子体点火与电火花点火对比,归纳2种点火方式下燃烧室点火过程中温度分布与火焰演化的规律,总结滑动弧等离子体点火的特性。计算结果表明,电火花点火和滑动弧等离子体点火2种点火方式所能达到的平均温度峰值基本相同。在滑动弧等离子体点火过程中,放电功率为200 W、空气流量为25 m^(3)/h条件下,余气系数为1时,着火延迟时间为224.6 ms;余气系数为2时,着火延迟时间为324.9 ms;余气系数为4时,着火延迟时间为878.7 ms。另外,在放电功率为200 W、余气系数为1的条件下,当空气流量为15 m^(3)/h时,着火延迟时间为194.8 ms;空气流量为35 m^(3)/h时,着火延迟时间为298.9 ms。结果表明着火延迟时间随着余气系数、空气流量的增大而增长。

反向和同向旋流滑动弧等离子体点火助燃头部的燃烧特性

非平衡态等离子体点火助燃技术是新型的燃烧调控技术.面对航空发动机燃烧室稳定燃烧的迫切需求,为发挥滑动弧等离子体技术在改善雾化、提高燃烧效率等方面的优势,搭建了航空发动机燃烧室实验平台,并开展了不同旋流方向下滑动弧放电等离子体的燃烧特性实验.实验通过采集燃烧过程OH^(*)化学发光强度图像,着重分析了不同旋流方向滑动弧等离子体对燃烧室燃烧强度、温度分布以及燃烧效率的影响.研究表明,施加等离子体助燃后,燃烧室内的平均已燃区相对强度明显提升,且反向旋流等离子体助燃的提升效果更加明显;反向旋流滑动弧助燃的径向温度分布相较于同向旋流滑动弧助燃均匀性提升,当余气系数为2.0时,反向旋流等离子体助燃的径向温度分布系数为0.3022,同向旋流等离子体助燃的径向温度分布系数为0.3223;反向旋流滑动弧助燃的燃烧效率高于同向旋流滑动弧放电的燃烧效率,当余气系数为2.0时,反向旋流等离子体助燃的燃烧效率为89.56%,同向旋流等离子体助燃的燃烧效率为83.41%.

双电源Plasma-MIG焊接系统的设计与实现

根据Plasma-MIG复合电弧焊接的工作原理,以PLC为控制核心建立了双电源Plasma-MIG焊接系统,针对铝合金焊接过程中的小规范起弧问题提出了模式转化的起弧方法,以回路中等离子电流检测值Ip作为稳定性判据,在MFC平台下编写人机界面将控制系统集成,试验结果显示该控制系统能够按照Plasma-MIG焊接时序实现对两台电源的协调控制,实现铝合金的高质量焊接。