Preliminary results of noble metal thermocouple research program, 1000 - 2000 C
Noble metal thermocouple research involving combustion gases
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Noble metal thermocouple research involving combustion gases
Jets of low temperature air are introduced into the aft sections of gas turbine combustors for the purpose of cooling the high temperature gases and quenching the combustion reactions. Research studies, motivated by this complex flow field, have been executed by introducing a heated jet into the cross stream of a wind tunnel. The investigation by Kamotani and Greber stands as a prime example of such investigations and it serves as the principal reference for the present study. The low disturbance level of the cross stream, in their study and in similar research investigations, is compatible with an interest in identifying the basic features of this flow field. The influence of the prototypes' strongly disturbed cross flow is not, however, made apparent in these prior investigations.
Simple theoretical model makes useful predictions of trends. Pair of reports presents theoretical model of evaporation and ignition of sprayed liquid fuel. Developed as part of research in combustion of oil and liquid fuels derived from coal, tar sand, and shale in furnace. Work eventually contributes to increase efficiency of combustion and decrease pollution generated by burning of such fuels.
Apparatus for research in combustion of solid propellants measures oscillatory response of rate of burning to oscillating thermal radiation from modulated CO2 laser. Determines response to rate of burning to equivalent oscillation in pressure. Rod of propellant mounted in burner assembly including waveguide at one end and infrared window at other end. Microwave Doppler velocimeter measures motion of combustion front. Microwave, laser-current, and heat-flux signals processed into and recorded in forms useful in determining desired response of propellent.
Measurements of absorption and emission complement thermal measurements. Two laboratory instruments for research in combustion and pyrolysis equipped for radiative as well as thermal measurements. One instrument essentially differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) modified to detect radiation emitted by flames. Provides means to evaluate limits of flammability of materials exhibiting exothermic reactions in DSC's. Other instrument used to determine pyrolysis properties of specimens exposed to various gases by measurement of infrared absorption spectra of pyrolysis products.
Viewgraphs are presented on the following topics: the grand challenge of combustion engineering; research of probability density function (PDF) methods at Sandia; experiments of turbulent jet flames (Masri and Dibble, 1988); departures from chemical equilibrium; modeling turbulent reacting flows; superequilibrium OH radical; pdf modeling of turbulent jet flames; scatter plot for CH4 (methane) and O2 (oxygen); methanol turbulent jet flames; comparisons between predictions and experimental data; and turbulent C2H4 jet flames.
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Theory and measurement showed that the heat wake downstream from a line source is displaced by a transverse standing sound wave in a manner similar to a flag waving in a harmonic mode. With a 147 db, 104 cps standing wave, time-mean temperatures were reduced by an order of magnitude except near the displacement-pattern nodal points. The theory showed that a 161 db, 520 cps standing wave considerably increased the mixing in both the time-mean and instantaneous senses.
Vapor fuel-oxidant mixing is analyzed for standing transverse acoustic fields simulating those existing in screeching or screaming combustors. The additional mixing due to the acoustic field is shown to be a function of sound pressure and frequency, stream velocity, and turbulence. The effects of these parameters are shown graphically for a realistic range of combustor conditions. The fuel-oxidant ratio at various combustor stations is shown to have a cyclic fluctuation which is in phase with the pressure fluctuations. Possible mechanisms contributing to screech and scream are discussed.
Temperature surveys were made at the combustion-chamber outlets of a British Rolls-Royce Nene II engine. The highest mean nozzle-vane and mean gas temperatures were found to occur at a radius approximately 75% of the nozzle-vane length from the inner ring of the nozzle-vane assembly. Variations in engine speed, jet-nozzle area, simulated altitude, and simulated flight speed altered the temperature level but did not materially affect the pattern of radial temperature distribution.
Fundamental flame velocities are reported for pentane air, ethylene-air, and propylene-air mixtures for the concentration range 60 to 130 percent of stoichiometric. A form of the Tanford and Pease equation, which includes a small constant velocity term independent of diffusion, will predict the observed changes in flame velocity.
A preliminary analytical evaluation of the air and fuel specific-impulse characteristics of hydrogen, a-methylnapthalene, and graphite carbon has been made. Adiabatic constant-pressure combustion flame temperatures for each fuel at several equivalence ratios were calculated for an initial air temperature of 560 degrees R and a pressure of 2 atmospheres.
Fluid properties and low-temperature ignition delays were obtained for approximately 90 fuel-oxidant combinations. A red fuming nitric acid containing approximately 3 percent water and 19 percent nitrogen tetroxide froze at approximately -87 degrees F and ignited several low-viscosity fuel blends of aromatic amines in triethylamine at -76 degrees F and lower. With this acid, the following average ignition delays were obtained with a blend of 30 percent o-toluidine in triethylamine: ...
The design principle of injecting liquid fuel at more than one axial station in an annual turbojet combustor was investigated. Fuel was injected into the combustor as much as 5 inches downstream of the primary fuel injectors. Many fuel-injection configurations were examined and the performance results are presented for 11 configurations that best demonstrate the trends in performance obtained. The performance investigations were made at a constant combustor-inlet pressure of 15 inches of mercury absolute and at air flows up to 70 percent higher than values typical of current design practice. At these higher air flows, staging the fuel introduction improved the combustion efficiency considerably over that obtained in the combustor when no fuel staging was employed. At air flows currently encountered in turbojet engines, fuel staging was of minor value. Radial temperature distribution seemed relatively unaffected by the location of fuel-injection stations.
An experimental investigation of high-frequency combustion oscillations (screaming) was conducted with a 100-pound-thrust acid-hydrocarbon rocket engine and a 500-pound-thrust oxygen-fuel rocket engine. The oscillation frequencies could be correlated as a linear function of the parameter C/L, where C is the experimentally measured characteristic velocity and L is the combustion-chamber length. The tendency of the engines to scream increased as chamber length was increased. With engine configurations that normally had a low efficiency, screaming resulted in increased performance; at the same time, a five to tenfold increase in heat-transfer rate occurred. It was possible, however, to achieve good performance without screaming.
An investigation of a single-annulus turbojet combustor with slot-type air admission was conducted to demonstrate the application of certain design principles to the control of outlet-gas temperature distributions. Comparisons of performance of a one-quarter-annulus combustor (duct-type installation) and a full-annulus combustor (obtained in a full-scale turbojet engine) are presented to indicate the applicability of results obtained from combustion studies conducted in duct-type installations. A reasonable correlation existed between the performance of the one-quarter-annulus and full-annulus combustors except for temperature distribution. Sufficient trends did exist which made it possible to predict temperature distributions for the engine, although absolute correlation did not exist. A radial temperature distribution similar to that required for a given engine was obtained using a one-quarter-annulus duct-type setup to predict results.
A gas chromatograph (GC)/mass spectrometer (MS) system that allows the speciation of unburnt hydrocarbons in the combustor exhaust has been developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. Combustion gas samples are withdrawn through a water-cooled sampling probe which, when not in use, is protected from contamination by a high-pressure nitrogen purge. The sample line and its connecting lines, filters, and valves are all ultraclean and are heated to avoid condensation. The system has resolution to the parts-per-billion (ppb) level.