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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2

Effects of compression and expansion ramp fuel injector configuration on scramjet combustion and heat transfer

A scramjet combustor with four wall-ramp injectors containing Mach-1.7 fuel jets in the base of the ramps was investigated experimentally. During the test program, two swept ramp injector designs were evaluated. One swept-ramp model had 10-deg compression-ramps and the other had 10-deg expansion cavities between flush wall ramps. The scramjet combustor model was instrumented with pressure taps and heat-flux gages. The pressure measurements indicated that both injector configurations were effective in promoting mixing and combustion. Autoignition occurred for the compression-ramp injectors, and the fuel began to burn immediately downstream of the injectors. In tests of the expansion ramps, a pilot was required to ignite the fuel, and the fuel did not burn for a distance of at least two gaps downstream of the injectors. Once initiated, combustion was rapid in this configuration. Heat transfer measurements showed that the heat flux differed greatly both across the width of the combustor and along the length of the combustor.

Stouffer, Scott D.

The optimum hypersonic wind tunnel

The capabilities of existing hypersonic wind tunnels in the U.S. are assessed to form a basis for recommendations for a new, costly facility which would provide data for modeling the hypervelocity aerodynamics envisioned for the new generation of aerospace vehicles now undergoing early studies. Attention is given to the regimes, both entry and aerodynamic, which the new vehicles will encounter, and the shortcomings of data generated for the Orbiter before flight are discussed. The features of foreign-gas, impulse, aeroballistic range, arc-heated and combustion-heated facilities are examined, noting that in any hypersonic wind tunnel the flow must be preheated to prevent liquefaction upon expansion in the test channel. The limitations of the existing facilities and the identification of the regimes which must be studied lead to a description of the characteristics of an optimum hypersonic wind tunnel, including the operations and productivity, the instrumentation, the nozzle design and the flow quality. Three different design approaches are described, each costing at least $100 million to achieve workability.

Trimmer, L. L.

Summary and evaluation of the Strategic Defense Initiative Space Power Architecture Study

The Space Power Architecture Study (SPAS) identified and evaluated power subsystem options for multimegawatt electric (MMWE) space based weapons and surveillance platforms for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) applications. Steady state requirements of less than 1 MMWE are adequately covered by the SP-100 nuclear space power program and hence were not addressed in the SPAS. Four steady state power systems less than 1 MMWE were investigated with little difference between them on a mass basis. The majority of the burst power systems utilized H(2) from the weapons and were either closed (no effluent), open (effluent release) or steady state with storage (no effluent). Closed systems used nuclear or combustion heat source with thermionic, Rankine, turboalternator, fuel cell and battery conversion devices. Open systems included nuclear or combustion heat sources using turboalternator, magnetohydrodynamic, fuel cell or battery power conversion devices. The steady state systems with storage used the SP-100 or Star-M reactors as energy sources and flywheels, fuel cells or batteries to store energy for burst applications. As with other studies the open systems are by far the lightest, most compact and simplist (most reliable) systems. However, unlike other studies the SPAS studied potential platform operational problems caused by effluents or vibration.

Edenburn, M.

Examination of entrainment, combustibility, and heat transfer due to cell venting inside simplified battery energy storage enclosures

Battery energy storage systems (ESS) assembled of modules containing lithium-ion batteries can pose fire and explosion hazards during thermal runaway because vented gases may accumulate, combust, or escape enclosures. Here, we propose a prototypical configuration composed of the main components of an ESS rack, where modules are represented as rectangles within an enclosure and vent gas is injected steadily through the top of a module. This idealized geometry allows for exploration of how rack-level characteristics can influence smaller single-cell or module-level scales. Through this geometry, we conduct numerical simulations to understand how variations in the vent velocity, temperature, and vertical location affect entrainment rates, fraction of uncombusted fuel, rich-gas coverage, and heat flux to other modules. At lower vent velocities and vertical positions, buoyancy drives enough entrainment and mixing to react with most of the vent gases on the converging plenum. As jet momentum increases and/or buoyancy decreases via higher vent position in the rack, vent gases can propagate into and burn in the divergence plenum. Heat flux to the impinged module scales strongly with vent momentum and temperature, while heat transfer to upper modules peaks when flames in the diverging plenum reach the surface and declines when combustion is suppressed.

Computational fluid dynamics

Ignition delays, heats of combustion, and reaction rates of aluminum alkyl derivatives used as ignition and combustion enhancers for supersonic combustors

The work was based on adapting an apparatus and procedure developed at Southwest Research Institute for rating the ignition quality of fuels for diesel engines. Aluminum alkyls and various Lewis-base adducts of these materials, both neat and mixed 50/50 with pure JP-10 hydrocarbon, were injected into the combustion bomb using a high-pressure injection system. The bomb was pre-charged with air that was set at various initial temperatures and pressures for constant oxygen density. The ignition delay times were determined for the test materials at these different initial conditions. The data are presented in absolute terms as well as comparisons with the parent alkyls. The relative heats of reaction of the various test materials were estimated based on a computation of the heat release, using the pressure data recorded during combustion in the bomb. In addition, the global reaction rates for each material were compared at a selected tmperature and pressure.

Ryan, T. W., III

Experimental evaluation of catalytic combustion with heat removal at near stoichiometric conditions

Two concentric tube configurations were tested. Tests were conducted at an inlet pressure of 150,000 Pa, inlet fuel air mixture temperatures from 780 to 960 K, combustion air flow rates from 0.78 to 1.5 g/s, equivalence ratios up to 0.90, and a range of cooling air flow rates. Propane and propylene fuels were used. Both configurations used air flowing through the center tube for cooling and combustion in the annulus on the catalytic surface. One configuration had the catalyst applied to the outside surface of the inner tube. Conversion of the fuel was very low for this configuration. The other configuration had the catalyst applied to the inside surface of the outer tube. Conversion of the fuel was considerably better in this configuration.

Bulzan, D. L.

Rocket engine heat transfer and material technology for commercial applications

Liquid fueled rocket engine combustion, heat transfer, and material technology have been utilized in the design and development of compact combustion and heat exchange equipment intended for application in the commercial field. An initial application of the concepts to the design of a compact steam generator to be utilized by electrical utilities for the production of peaking power is described.

Hiltabiddle, J.

Combustion chamber heat transfer characterization of LOX/hydrocarbon-type propellants

The gas-side heat transfer rates for LOX/propane and LOX/ethanol are experimentally characterized using a 1000 lb thrust water-cooled calorimeter chamber. The effects of injector element type and fuel film cooling are defined as a function of mixture ratio. The interaction of fuel injected through the resonator cavities on heat transfer and wall soot buildup are displayed as a function of time, axial distance, fuel coolant flow rate, and mixture ratio. Comparisons between clean-burning ethanol and sooting propane show a large difference between the two fuels and significantly higher than expected heat flux levels for ethanol in the throat region.

Schoenman, Leonard

Numerical simulation of pressure oscillations in a ramjet combustor

Large-eddy simulations of compressible cold flow in a ramjet combustor configuration were performed. The objectives were to investigate the mechanisms for vortex-acoustic interaction in such a device and to develop a simulation method that can be extended to cases with combustion heat release to study combustion instability. From the simulation, it was found that the separated shear layer rolls up into concentrated vortices that merge to form large coherent structures. These vortices interact with the choked nozzle downstream to produce an axial acoustic dipole. The spectrum of the pressure fluctuation at the base of the backward-facing step shows that there are two types of oscillations: an acoustic resonant mode and a vortex-acoustic coupled mode. Based on the flow physics observed in the simulations, a simple one-dimensional model for the vortex-acoustic coupled mode was proposed. The eigenvalue problem based on this model was solved to obtain the frequency of the coupled mode.

Jou, Wen-Huei

Ignition delays, heats of combustion, and reaction rates of aluminum alkyl derivatives used as ignition and combustion enhancers for supersonic combustion

The subject of this paper is the design of supersonic combustors which will be required in order to achieve the needed reaction rates in a reasonable sized combustor. A fuel additive approach, which is the focus of this research, is the use of pyrophorics to shorten the ignition delay time and to increase the energy density of the fuel. Pyrophoric organometallic compounds may also provide an ignition source and flame stabilization mechanism within the combustor, thus permitting use of hydrocarbon fuels in supersonic combustion systems. Triethylaluminum (TEA) and trimethylaluminum (TMA) were suggested for this application due to their high energy density and reactivity. The objective here is to provide comparative data for the ignition quality, the energy content, and the reaction rates of several different adducts of both TEA and TMA. The results of the experiments indicate the aluminum alkyls and their more stable derivatives reduce the ignition delay and total reaction time to JP-10 jet fuel. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of ignition delay and total reaction time of the blends of the adducts are significantly lower than in neat JP-10.

Ryan, Thomas W., III

The Effects of Pressure and Optical Thickness on Radiative Losses in Spherical Diffusion Flames in Microgravity

In microgravity combustion, heat loss due to radiation plays a large role. Combustion products are able to accumulate in the flame region and radiate heat, while the heat release from the flame remains relatively constant. This causes the flame temperature to decrease until combustion can no longer be sustained, a phenomenon known as radiative extinction.

Kendyl A. Waddell

Test Capabilities and Recent Experiences in the NASA Langley 8-Foot High Temperature Tunnel

The NASA Langley 8-Foot High Temperature Tunnel is a combustion-heated hypersonic blowdown-to-atmosphere wind tunnel that provides flight enthalpy simulation for Mach numbers of 4, 5, and 7 through an altitude range from 50,000 to 120,000 feet. The open-.jet test section is 8-ft. in diameter and 12-ft. long. The test section will accommodate large air-breathing hypersonic propulsion systems as well as structural and thermal protection system components. Stable wind tunnel test conditions can be provided for 60 seconds. Additional test capabilities are provided by a radiant heater system used to simulate ascent or entry heating profiles. The test medium is the combustion products of air and methane that are burned in a pressurized combustion chamber. Oxygen is added to the test medium for air-breathing propulsion tests so that the test gas contains 21 percent molar oxygen. The facility was modified extensively in the late 1980's to provide airbreathing propulsion testing capability. In this paper, a brief history and general description of the facility are presented along with a discussion of the types of supported testing. Recently completed tests are discussed to explain the capabilities this facility provides and to demonstrate the experience of the staff.

Hodge, Jeffrey S.

Light bulb heat exchanger for magnetohydrodynamic generator applications - Preliminary evaluation

The light-bulb heat-exchanger concept is investigated as a possible means of using a combustion heat source to supply energy to an inert gas MHD power generator system. In this concept, combustion gases flow through a central passage which consists of a duct with transparent walls through which heat is transferred by radiation to a radiation receiver which in turn heats the inert gas by convection. The effects of combustion-gas emissivity, transparent-wall-transmissivity, radiation-receiver emissivity, and the use of fins in the inert gas coolant passage are studied. The results indicate that inert gas outlet temperatures of 2500 K are possible for combustion temperatures of 3200 K and that sufficient energy can be transferred from the combustion gas to reduce its temperature to approximately 2000 K. At this temperature more conventional heat exchangers can be used.

Smith, J. M.