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NASA NTRS1961

Investigation of Net-Thrust and Base-Pressure Characteristics of Cylindrical Afterbodies with Clustered Supersonic Nozzles at Transonic Mach Numbers

A wind-tunnel investigation has been conducted at Mach numbers from 0.9 to 1.4 to determine the net-thrust and base-pressure characteristics of cylindrical afterbodies having clustered supersonic nozzles. The design Mach numbers of the nozzles were 2.0 and 2.5 and the number of clustered nozzles ranged from two to six. The nozzles had throat-to- base diameter ratios of 0.155, 0.225, 0.278, and 0.320. Some models were tested with various configurations of extended, shrouded, flush, and canted nozzles. The nozzles discharged unheated air from the base at ratios of jet total pressure to free-stream static pressure ranging from 1 to approximately 20. The results of this investigation showed that both the ratio of total exit area to base area and the number of jets affect the net-thrust factor to a significant degree for the extended-nozzle configurations. Good net-thrust factors were obtained with all the model configurations near the design jet total-pressure ratio; however, the extended-nozzle configuration had the highest net-thrust factor over the test jet total- pressure-ratio range. Canting the twin nozzles outward resulted in a favorable thrust factor over a limited jet total-pressure-ratio range, and surrounding the nozzles with a single shroud reduced thrust factors for the range of jet total-pressure ratio of this investigation.

Andrews, Earl H., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Jet-Pylon Interaction of High Bypass Ratio Separate Flow Nozzle Configurations

NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, 23681-0001 USA An experimental investigation was performed of the acoustic effects of jet-pylon interaction for separate flow and chevron nozzles of both bypass ratio five and eight. The models corresponded to an approximate scale factor of nine. Cycle conditions from approach to takeoff were tested at wind tunnel free jet Mach numbers of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.28. An eight-chevron core nozzle, a sixteen chevron fan nozzle, and a pylon were primary configuration variables. In addition, two orientations of the chevrons relative to each other and to the pylon were tested. The effect of the pylon on the azimuthal directivity was investigated for the baseline nozzles and the chevron nozzles. For the bypass ratio five configuration, the addition of the pylon reduces the noise by approximately 1 EPNdB compared to the baseline case and there is little effect of azimuthal angle. The core chevron produced a 1.8 EPNdB reduction compared to the baseline nozzle. Adding a pylon to the chevron core nozzle produces an effect that depends on the orientation of the chevron relative to the pylon. The azimuthal directivity variation remains low at less than 0.5 EPNdB. For the bypass ratio eight configuration the effect of adding a pylon to the baseline nozzle is to slightly increase the noise at higher cycle points and for the case with a core chevron the pylon has little additional effect. The azimuthal angle effect continues to be very small for the bypass ratio eight configurations. A general impact of the pylon was observed for both fan and core chevrons at both bypass ratios. The pylon reduces the typical low frequency benefit of the chevrons, even eliminating it in some cases, while not impacting the high frequency. On an equal ideal thrust basis, the bypass ratio eight baseline nozzle was about 5 EPNdB lower than the bypass ratio five baseline nozzle at the highest cycle condition, however, with a pylon installed the difference decreased to about 4 EPNdB.

Thomas, Russell H.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Experimental, Theoretical, and Computational Investigation of Separated Nozzle Flows

A detailed experimental, theoretical, and computational study of separated nozzle flows has been conducted. Experimental testing was performed at the NASA Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel Complex. As part of a comprehensive static performance investigation, force, moment, and pressure measurements were made and schlieren flow visualization was obtained for a sub-scale, non-axisymmetric, two-dimensional, convergent- divergent nozzle. In addition, two-dimensional numerical simulations were run using the computational fluid dynamics code PAB3D with two-equation turbulence closure and algebraic Reynolds stress modeling. For reference, experimental and computational results were compared with theoretical predictions based on one-dimensional gas dynamics and an approximate integral momentum boundary layer method. Experimental results from this study indicate that off-design overexpanded nozzle flow was dominated by shock induced boundary layer separation, which was divided into two distinct flow regimes; three- dimensional separation with partial reattachment, and fully detached two-dimensional separation. The test nozzle was observed to go through a marked transition in passing from one regime to the other. In all cases, separation provided a significant increase in static thrust efficiency compared to the ideal prediction. Results indicate that with controlled separation, the entire overexpanded range of nozzle performance would be within 10% of the peak thrust efficiency. By offering savings in weight and complexity over a conventional mechanical exhaust system, this may allow a fixed geometry nozzle to cover an entire flight envelope. The computational simulation was in excellent agreement with experimental data over most of the test range, and did a good job of modeling internal flow and thrust performance. An exception occurred at low nozzle pressure ratios, where the two-dimensional computational model was inconsistent with the three-dimensional separation observed in the experiment. In general, the computation captured the physics of the shock boundary layer interaction and shock induced boundary layer separation in the nozzle, though there were some differences in shock structure compared to experiment. Though minor, these differences could be important for studies involving flow control or thrust vectoring of separated nozzles. Combined with other observations, this indicates that more detailed, three-dimensional computational modeling needs to be conducted to more realistically simulate shock-separated nozzle flows.

Hunter, Craig A.↗

NASA NTRS2004

1998 Calibration of the Mach 4.7 and Mach 6 Arc-Heated Scramjet Test Facility Nozzles

A calibration of the Arc-Heated Scramjet Test Facility (AHSTF) Mach 4.7 and Mach 6 nozzles was performed in 1998. For each nozzle, three different typical facility operating test points were selected for calibration. Each survey consisted of measurements, at 340 separate locations across the 11 inch square nozzle exit plane, of pitot pressure, static pressure, and total temperature. Measurement density was higher (4/inch) in the boundary layer near the nozzle wall than in the core nozzle flow (1/inch). The results generated for each of these calibration surveys were contour plots at the nozzle exit plane of the measured and calculated flow properties which completely defined the thermodynamic state of the nozzle exit flow. An area integration of the mass flux at the nozzle exit for each survey was compared to the AHSTF mass flow meter results to provide an indication of the overall quality of the calibration performed. The percent difference between the integrated nozzle exit mass flow and the flow meter ranged from 0.0 to 1.3 percent for the six surveys. Finally, a comparison of this 1998 calibration was made with the 1986 calibration. Differences of less than 10 percent were found within the nozzle core flow while in the boundary layer differences on the order of 20 percent were quite common.

Witte, David W.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Nozzle Aerodynamic Stability During a Throat Shift

An experimental investigation was conducted on the internal aerodynamic stability of a family of two-dimensional (2-D) High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) nozzle concepts. These nozzles function during takeoff as mixer-ejectors to meet acoustic requirements, and then convert to conventional high-performance convergent-divergent (CD) nozzles at cruise. The transition between takeoff mode and cruise mode results in the aerodynamic throat and the minimum cross-sectional area that controls the engine backpressure shifting location within the nozzle. The stability and steadiness of the nozzle aerodynamics during this so called throat shift process can directly affect the engine aerodynamic stability, and the mechanical design of the nozzle. The objective of the study was to determine if pressure spikes or other perturbations occurred during the throat shift process and, if so, identify the caused mechanisms for the perturbations. The two nozzle concepts modeled in the test program were the fixed chute (FC) and downstream mixer (DSM). These 2-D nozzles differ principally in that the FC has a large over-area between the forward throat and aft throat locations, while the DSM has an over-area of only about 10 percent. The conclusions were that engine mass flow and backpressure can be held constant simultaneously during nozzle throat shifts on this class of nozzles, and mode shifts can be accomplished at a constant mass flow and engine backpressure without upstream pressure perturbations.

Kawecki, Edwin J.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Aeroacoustic Analysis of Fan Noise Reduction With Increased Bypass Nozzle Area

An advanced model turbofan was tested in the NASA Glenn 9-by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel (9x15 LSWT) to explore far field acoustic effects of increased bypass nozzle area. This fan stage test was part of the NASA Glenn Fan Broadband Source Diagnostic Test, second entry (SDT2) which acquired aeroacoustic results over a range of test conditions. The baseline nozzle was sized to produce maximum stage performance at cruise condition. However, the wind tunnel testing is conducted near sea level condition. Therefore, in order to simulate and obtain performance at other operating conditions, two additional nozzles were designed and tested one with +5 percent increase in weight flow (+5.4 percent increase in nozzle area compared with the baseline nozzle), sized to simulate the performance at the stage design point (takeoff) condition, and the other with a +7.5 percent increase in weight flow (+10.9 percent increase in nozzle area) sized for maximum weight flow with a fixed nozzle at sea level condition. Measured acoustic benefits with increased nozzle area were very encouraging, showing overall sound power level (OAPWL) reductions of 2 or more dB while the stage thrust actually increased by 2 to 3 percent except for the most open nozzle at takeoff rotor speed where stage performance decreased. Effective perceived noise levels for a 1500 ft engine flyover and 3.35 scale factor showed a similar noise reduction of 2 or more EPNdB. Noise reductions, principally in the level of broadband noise, were observed everywhere in the far field. Laser Doppler Velocimetry measurements taken downstream of the rotor showed that the total turbulent velocity decreased with increasing nozzle flow, which may explain the reduced rotor broadband noise levels.

Woodward, Richard P.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Analysis of Plume Effects on Sonic Boom Signature for Isolated Nozzle Configurations

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis has been performed to study the plume effects on sonic boom signature for isolated nozzle configurations. The objectives of these analyses were to provide comparison to past work using modern CFD analysis tools, to investigate the differences of high aspect ratio nozzles to circular (axisymmetric) nozzles, and to report the effects of underexpanded nozzle operation on boom signature. CFD analysis was used to address the plume effects on sonic boom signature from a baseline exhaust nozzle. Near-field pressure signatures were collected for nozzle pressure ratios (NPRs) between 6 and 10. A computer code was used to extrapolate these signatures to a ground-observed sonic boom N-wave. Trends show that there is a reduction in sonic boom N-wave signature as NPR is increased from 6 to 10. The performance curve for this supersonic nozzle is flat, so there is not a significant loss in thrust coefficient as the NPR is increased. As a result, this benefit could be realized without significant loss of performance. Analyses were also collected for a high aspect ratio nozzle based on the baseline design for comparison. Pressure signatures were collected for nozzle pressure ratios from 8 to 12. Signatures were nearly twice as strong for the two-dimensional case, and trends also show a reduction in sonic boom signature as NPR is increased from 8 to 12. As low boom designs are developed and improved, there will be a need for understanding the interaction between the aircraft boat tail shocks and the exhaust nozzle plume. These CFD analyses will provide a baseline study for future analysis efforts.

Castner, Raymond S.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Analysis of Plume Effects on Sonic Boom Signature for Isolated Nozzle Configurations

Castner, Raymond S.↗

NASA NTRS2009

CFD Analysis of Nozzle Jet Plume Effects on Sonic Boom Signature

An axisymmetric full Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics study is conducted to examine nozzle exhaust jet plume effects on the sonic boom signature of a supersonic aircraft. A simplified axisymmetric nozzle geometry, representative of the nozzle on the NASA Dryden NF-15B Lift and Nozzle Change Effects on Tail Shock research airplane, is considered. The computational fluid dynamics code is validated using available wind-tunnel sonic boom experimental data. The effects of grid size, spatial order of accuracy, grid type, and flow viscosity on the accuracy of the predicted sonic boom pressure signature are quantified. Grid lines parallel to the Mach wave direction are found to give the best results. Second-order accurate upwind methods are required as a minimum for accurate sonic boom simulations. The highly underexpanded nozzle flow is found to provide significantly more reduction in the tail shock strength in the sonic boom N-wave pressure signature than perfectly expanded and overexpanded nozzle flows. A tail shock train in the sonic boom signature is observed for the highly underexpanded nozzle flow. Axisymmetric computational fluid dynamics simulations show the flow physics inside the F-15 nozzle to be nonisentropic and complex. Although the one-dimensional isentropic nozzle plume results look reasonable, they fail to capture the sonic boom shock train in the highly underexpanded nozzle flow.

Bui, Trong T.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Frozen Chemistry Effects on Nozzle Performance Simulations

Simulations of exhaust nozzle flows are typically conducted assuming the gas is calorically perfect, and typically modeled as air. However the gas inside a real nozzle is generally composed of combustion products whose thermodynamic properties may differ. In this study, the effect of gas model assumption on exhaust nozzle simulations is examined. The three methods considered model the nozzle exhaust gas as calorically perfect air, a calorically perfect exhaust gas mixture, and a frozen exhaust gas mixture. In the latter case the individual non-reacting species are tracked and modeled as a gas which is only thermally perfect. Performance parameters such as mass flow rate, gross thrust, and thrust coefficient are compared as are mean flow and turbulence profiles in the jet plume region. Nozzles which operate at low temperatures or have low subsonic exit Mach numbers experience relatively minor temperature variations inside the nozzle, and may be modeled as a calorically perfect gas. In those which operate at the opposite extreme conditions, variations in the thermodynamic properties can lead to different expansion behavior within the nozzle. Modeling these cases as a perfect exhaust gas flow rather than air captures much of the flow features of the frozen chemistry simulations. Use of the exhaust gas reduces the nozzle mass flow rate, but has little effect on the gross thrust. When reporting nozzle thrust coefficient results, however, it is important to use the appropriate gas model assumptions to compute the ideal exit velocity. Otherwise the values obtained may be an overly optimistic estimate of nozzle performance.

Yoder, Dennis A.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Calibration for Thrust and Airflow Measurements in the CE-22 Advanced Nozzle Test Facility

CE-22 facility procedures and measurements for thrust and airflow calibration obtained with choked-flow ASME nozzles are presented. Six calibration nozzles are used at an inlet total pressure from 20 to 48 psia. Throat areas are from 9.9986 to 39.986 sq. in.. Throat Reynolds number varies from 1.8 to 7.9 million. Nozzle gross thrust coefficient (CFG) uncertainty is 0.25 to 0.75 percent, with smaller uncertainly generally for larger nozzles and higher inlet total pressure. Nozzle discharge coefficient (CDN) uncertainty is 0.15 percent or less for all the data. ASME nozzle calibrations need to be done before and after research model testing to achieve these uncertainties. In addition, facility capability in terms of nozzle pressure ratio (NPR) and nozzle airflow are determined. Nozzle pressure ratio of 50 or more is obtainable at 40 psia for throat areas between 20 and 30 sq. in.. Also presented are results for two of the ASME nozzles vectored at 10deg, a dead-weight check of the vertical (perpendicular to the jet axis) force measurement, a calibration of load cell forces for the effects of facility tank deflection with tank pressure, and the calibration of the metric-break labyrinth seal.

Werner, Roger A.↗

NASA NTRS2011

PIV Measurements of Chevrons on F400-Series Tactical Aircraft Nozzle Model

Reducing noise of tactical jet aircraft has taken on fresh urgency as core engine technologies allow higher specific-thrust engines and as society become more concerned for the health of its military workforce. Noise reduction on this application has lagged the commercial field as incentives for quieting military aircraft have not been as strong as in their civilian counterparts. And noise reduction strategies employed on civilian engines may not be directly applicable due to the differences in exhaust system architecture and mission. For instance, the noise reduction technology of chevrons, examined in this study, will need to be modified to take into account the special features of tactical aircraft nozzles. In practice, these nozzles have divergent slats that are tied to throttle position, and at take off the jet flow is highly overexpanded as the nozzle is optimized for cruise altitude rather than sea level. In simple oil flow visualization experiments conducted at the onset of the current test program flow barely stays attached at end of nozzle at takeoff conditions. This adds a new twist to the design of chevrons. Upon reaching the nozzle exit the flow shrinks inward radially, meaning that for a chevron to penetrate the flow it must extend much farther away from the baseline nozzle streamline. Another wrinkle is that with a variable divergence angle on the nozzle, the effective penetration will differ with throttle position and altitude. The final note of realism introduced in these experiments was to simulate the manner in which bypass flow is bled into the nozzle wall in real engines to cool the nozzle, which might cause very fat boundary layer at exit. These factors, along with several other issues specific to the application of chevrons to convergent-divergent nozzles have been explored with particle image velocimetry measurements and are presented in this paper.

Bridges, James↗

NASA NTRS2013

The Effect of Bypass Nozzle Exit Area on Fan Aerodynamic Performance and Noise in a Model Turbofan Simulator

The design of effective new technologies to reduce aircraft propulsion noise is dependent on identifying and understanding the noise sources and noise generation mechanisms in the modern turbofan engine, as well as determining their contribution to the overall aircraft noise signature. Therefore, a comprehensive aeroacoustic wind tunnel test program was conducted called the Fan Broadband Source Diagnostic Test as part of the NASA Quiet Aircraft Technology program. The test was performed in the anechoic NASA Glenn 9- by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel using a 1/5 scale model turbofan simulator which represented a current generation, medium pressure ratio, high bypass turbofan aircraft engine. The investigation focused on simulating in model scale only the bypass section of the turbofan engine. The test objectives were to: identify the noise sources within the model and determine their noise level; investigate several component design technologies by determining their impact on the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of the fan stage; and conduct detailed flow diagnostics within the fan flow field to characterize the physics of the noise generation mechanisms in a turbofan model. This report discusses results obtained for one aspect of the Source Diagnostic Test that investigated the effect of the bypass or fan nozzle exit area on the bypass stage aerodynamic performance, specifically the fan and outlet guide vanes or stators, as well as the farfield acoustic noise level. The aerodynamic performance, farfield acoustics, and Laser Doppler Velocimeter flow diagnostic results are presented for the fan and four different fixed-area bypass nozzle configurations. The nozzles simulated fixed engine operating lines and encompassed the fan stage operating envelope from near stall to cruise. One nozzle was selected as a baseline reference, representing the nozzle area which would achieve the design point operating conditions and fan stage performance. The total area change from the smallest to the largest nozzle was 12.9 percent of the baseline nozzle area. The results will show that there are significant changes in aerodynamic performance and farfield acoustics as the fan nozzle area is increased. The weight flow through the fan model increased between 7 and 9 percent, the fan and stage pressure dropped between 8 and 10 percent, and the adiabatic efficiency increased between 2 and 3 percent--the magnitude of the change dependent on the fan speed. Results from force balance measurements of fan and outlet guide vane thrust will show that as the nozzle exit area is increased the combined thrust of the fan and outlet guide vanes together also increases, between 2 and 3.5 percent, mainly due to the increase in lift from the outlet guide vanes. In terms of farfield acoustics, the overall sound power level produced by the fan stage dropped nearly linearly between 1 dB at takeoff condition and 3.5 dB at approach condition, mainly due to a decrease in the broadband noise levels. Finally, fan swirl angle survey and Laser Doppler Velocimeter mean velocity and turbulence data obtained in the fan wake will show that the swirl angles and turbulence levels within the wake decrease as the fan nozzle area increases, which helps to explain the drop in the fan broadband noise at all fan speeds.

Hughes, Christopher E.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Proposed Flight Research of a Dual-Bell Rocket Nozzle Using the NASA F-15 Airplane

For more than a half-century, several types of altitude-compensating rocket nozzles have been proposed and analyzed, but very few have been adequately tested in a relevant flight environment. One type of altitude-compensating nozzle is the dual-bell rocket nozzle, which was first introduced into literature in 1949. Despite the performance advantages that have been predicted, both analytically and through static test data, the dual-bell nozzle has still not been adequately tested in a relevant flight environment. This presentation proposes a method for conducting testing and research with a dual-bell rocket nozzle in a flight environment. We propose to leverage the existing NASA F-15 airplane and Propulsion Flight Test Fixture as the flight testbed, with the dual-bell nozzle operating during captive-carried flights, and with the nozzle subjected to a local flow field similar to that of a launch vehicle. The primary objective of this effort is not only to advance the technology readiness level of the dual-bell nozzle, but also to gain a greater understanding of the nozzle mode transitional sensitivity to local flow-field effects, and to quantify the performance benefits with this technology. The predicted performance benefits are significant, and may result in reducing the cost of delivering payloads to low-Earth orbit.

rocket↗

NASA NTRS1962

Performance Evaluation of Fixed- and Variable-Area Rocket Exhaust Diffusers Using Single and Clustered Nozzles with and Without Gimbaling

An investigation of exhaust diffusers used for altitude simulation in testing rocket engines was conducted with model diffusers and gaseous nitrogen as the working fluid. This investigation was conducted to evaluate the effects on performance of gimbaling clustered nozzles in a single fixed-area exhaust diffuser. A two-nozzle cluster was gimbaled in all attitudes in four different exhaust-diffuser configurations: (1) a straight circular tube, (2) a straight figure-eight tube, (3) a circular tube with a second throat, and (4) a figure-eight tube with a second throat. Gimbaling clustered nozzles had little effect on the operating pressure ratio for either straight-tube or second-throat diffusers, but caused a large increase in the starting-pressure-ratio requirements in some straight-tube exhaust diffusers. The performance of two or four clustered nozzles with no gimbaling was compared with single-nozzle performance on the basis of the ratio of diffuser area to nozzle-throat area. The performance was found to be dependent on the diffuser- to nozzle-throat-area ratio and independent of both the number of primary nozzles and the nozzle-area ratio. A separate investigation was also conducted to evaluate the performance improvement obtainable with a variable-area exhaust diffuser. This type of diffuser achieved a 26-percent reduction in starting pressure ratio, a 40-percent reduction in operating pressure ratio, and a 50-percent reduction in the overall diffuser length over the values attainable with a fixed-area second-throat diffuser.

ROCKET↗

NASA NTRS2014

An Interactive Method of Characteristics Java Applet to Design and Analyze Supersonic Aircraft Nozzles

The Method of Characteristics (MOC) is a classic technique for designing supersonic nozzles. An interactive computer program using MOC has been developed to allow engineers to design and analyze supersonic nozzle flow fields. The program calculates the internal flow for many classic designs, such as a supersonic wind tunnel nozzle, an ideal 2D or axisymmetric nozzle, or a variety of plug nozzles. The program also calculates the plume flow produced by the nozzle and the external flow leading to the nozzle exit. The program can be used to assess the interactions between the internal, external and plume flows. By proper design and operation of the nozzle, it may be possible to lessen the strength of the sonic boom produced at the rear of supersonic aircraft. The program can also calculate non-ideal nozzles, such as simple cone flows, to determine flow divergence and nonuniformities at the exit, and its effect on the plume shape. The computer program is written in Java and is provided as free-ware from the NASA Glenn central software server.

Analysis↗

NASA NTRS2015

Turbulence Measurements of Rectangular Nozzles with Bevel

This paper covers particle image velocimetry measurements of a family of rectangular nozzles with aspect ratios 2, 4, and 8, in the high subsonic flow regime. Far-field acoustic results, presented previously, showed that increasing aspect ratios increased the high frequency noise, especially directed in the polar plane containing the minor axis of the nozzle. The measurements presented here have important implications in the modeling of turbulent sources for acoustic analogy theories. While the nonaxisymmetric mean flow from the rectangular nozzles can be studied reliably using computational solutions, the nonaxisymmetry of the turbulent fluctuations, particularly at the level of velocity components, cannot; only measurements such as these can determine the impact of nozzle geometry on acoustic source anisotropy. Additional nozzles were constructed that extended the wide lip on one side of these nozzles to form beveled nozzles. The paper first documents the velocity fields, mean and variance, from the round, rectangular, and beveled rectangular nozzles at high subsonic speeds. A second section introduces measures of the isotropy of the turbulence, such as component ratios and lengthscales, first by showing them for a round jet and then for the rectangular nozzles. From these measures the source models of acoustic analogy codes can be judged or modified to account for these anisotropies.

Rectangular Nozzle↗

DOE OSTI2022

Investigation of the effects of passive pre-chamber nozzle pattern and ignition system on engine performance and emissions

The impact of passive pre-chamber (PC) internal volume, nozzle hole pattern (i.e. with and without a central axial nozzle), and PC igniter plug type on performance and emissions was investigated in an optically accessible, single-cylinder, gasoline research engine. The two PC igniter plugs investigated were a conventional inductive coil spark plug and a nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) plasma discharge system previously demonstrated to accelerate early flame propagation. The baseline PC design featured a funnel shaped internal volume with a PC tip that contained six radial nozzles and a larger central axial nozzle. Two additional PC tip geometries were evaluated where either the baseline internal volume was increased or the axial nozzle was removed and the radial nozzle diameters were increased. A sweep of charge equivalence ratios ( ϕ) from nearly stoichiometric to the lean limit was performed for a fixed engine speed (1300 revolutions per minute), and engine load (3.5 bar gross indicated mean effective pressure). Time-resolved PC and main chamber (MC) pressure data as well as MC emissions data were collected to analyze engine performance and emissions characteristics. Combustion in the MC was further investigated using high-speed excited methylidyne radical (CH*) chemiluminescence imaging. Collected results highlighted that while all PC tips and ignition systems exhibited similar performance and emissions down to ϕ = 0.8, relevant differences in thermal efficiency and emissions for leaner charge mixtures were observed, with the results highly dependent on the nozzle pattern and ignition system. Major deviations were correlated to preferential de-pressurization of the PC through the axial nozzle for lean conditions that was not observed for mixture conditions closer to stoichiometric. Results show that a combination of radial and axial nozzle patterns in the PC extended lean-stability limits at the low-load condition evaluated. Further benefits were observed with the use of NRP ignition systems due to faster combustion within the PC volume provided that the volume was sufficiently large.

Di Sabatino, Francesco↗