The vitiation effects of water vapor and carbon dioxide on the autoignition characteristics of kerosene

In ground tests of hypersonic scramjet, the highenthalpy airstream produced by burning hydrocarbon fuels often contains contaminants of water vapor and carbon dioxide. The contaminants may change the ignition characteristics of fuels between ground tests and real flights. In order to properly assess the influence of the contaminants on ignition characteristics of hydrocarbon fuels, the effect of water vapor and carbon dioxide on the ignition delay times of China RP-3 kerosene was studied behind reflected shock waves in a preheated shock tube. Experiments were conducted over a wider temperature range of 800-1 500 K, at a pressure of 0.3 MPa, equivalence ratios of 0.5 and 1, and oxygen concentration of 20%. Ignition delay times were determined from the onset of the excited radical OH emission together with the pressure profile. Ignition delay times were measured for four cases： （1） clean gas, （2） gas vitiated with 10% and 20% water vapor in mole, （3） gas vitiated with 10% carbon dioxide in mole, and （4） gas vitiated with 10% water vapor and 10% carbon dioxide, 20% water vapor and 10% carbon dioxide in mole. The results show that carbon dioxide produces an inhibiting effect at temperatures below 1 300 K when Ф = 0.5, whereas water vapor appears to accelerate the ignition process below a critical temperature of about 1 000 K when Ф = 0.5. When both water vapor and carbon dioxide exist together, a minor inhibiting effect is observed at Ф = 0.5, while no effect is found at Ф = 1.0. The results are also discussed preliminary by considering both the combustion reaction mechanism and the thermophysics properties of the fuel mixtures. The current measurements demonstrate vitiation effects of water vapor and carbon dioxide on the autoignition characteristics of China RP-3 kerosene at air-like O2 concentration. It is important to account for such effects when data are extrapolated from ground testing to real flight conditions.

Experimental and Numerical Studies of Vitiated Air Effects on Hydrogen-fueled Supersonic Combustor Performance

This paper deals with the vitiation effects of test air on the scramjet performance in the ground combustion heated facilities. The primary goal is to evaluate the effects of H2O and CO2, the two major vitiated species generated by combustion heater, on hydrogen-fueled supersonic combustor performance with experimental and numerical approaches. The comparative experiments in the clean air and vitiated air are conducted by using the resistance heated direct-connected facility, with the typical Mach 4 flight conditions simulated. The H2O and CO2 species with accurately controlled contents are added to the high enthalpy clean air from resistance heater, to synthesize the vitiated air of a combustion-type heater. Typically, the contents of H2O species can be varied within the range of 3.5%-30% by mole, and 3.0%-10% for CO2 species. The total temperature, total pressure, Mach number and O2 mole fraction at the combustor entrance are well-matched between the clean air and vitiated air. The combustion experiments are completed at the fuel equivalence ratios of 0.53 and 0.42 respectively. Furthermore, three-dimensional （3D） reacting flow simulations of combustor flowpath are performed to provide insight into flow field structures and combustion chemistry details that cannot resolved by experimental instruments available. Finally, the experimental data, combined with computational results, are employed to analyze the effects of H2O and CO2 vitiated air on supersonic combustion characteristics and performance. It is concluded that H2O and CO2 contaminants can significantly inhibit the combustion induced pressure rise measured from combustor wall, and the pressure profile decreases with the increasing H2O and CO2 contents in nonlinear trend; simulation results agree well with experimental data and the overall vitiation effects are captured; direct extrapolation of the results from vitiated air to predict the performance of actual flight conditions could result in over-fueling the combustor, possible inlet un-start and inappropriate combustion mode transition. The detailed analysis and discussion are presented and the research conclusions are summarized.