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Results for “Droplet Combustion”

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 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Combustion of two-component miscible droplets in reduced gravity

This research focuses on the combustion of binary miscible droplets initially in the mm size range. Experiments are performed using the NASA Lewis 2.2 sec drop tower in Cleveland, Ohio, where mixtures of alkanes and/or alcohols are studied. The fuel components are selected to have significantly different volatilities. Initial oxygen mole fractions from about 0.15-0.5 and initial pressures from 0.2-2 atm are employed. Different inerts are used (He, CO2, Ar, N2) to change burning rates and sooting behaviors. Objectives are to observe the following: (1) Transient droplet diameters (including three-staged combustion behaviors and microexplosion; (2) Transient flow behaviors (sudden flame contraction, luminosity, extinction); and (3) Behaviors of observable soot particles. theoretical and computational research in support of this program has also been undertaken. This research includes analytical studies to determine the effects of small but nonzero gravitational levels on droplet gasification, analytical studies of hydrodynamic stability of spherically-symmetrical droplet gasification (to address the question as to whether spherically-symmetrical droplet gasification may be destabilized from capillary, i.e., Marangoni effects), and computational modeling of effects of capillary stresses on droplet gasification.

Shaw, Benjamin D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Non-grey radiation in a liquid rocket combustion chamber

The effects of radiation on droplets gasification in liquid rocket combustion chambers has been studied. The modeling includes a Legendre pseudo-spectral collocation approximation to solve the Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE). The band model has been utilized to account for non-grey emitting and absorbing gases present in the comustion chamber. The GEMCHIP II code has been utilized to study the fuel and oxidizer droplets combustion and interaction. The submodels within this code are capable of accounting for group combustion and conjugate effects between many droplets. The radiative model has been coupled with the GEMCHIP II code accounting for radial effects only, to provide the tool for studying the combustion-radiation coupling effects in a bipropellant system. The results indicate that the gasification/combustion process will be enhanced upstream of the chamber causing thicker flame sheet and associated higher combustion efficiency.

Kehtarnavaz, H.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Pressure Effects on Combustion of Methanol and Methanol-Docecanol Droplets

The objective of this research is to improve understanding of the combustion of binary fuel mixtures in the vicinity of the critical point. Fiber-supported single droplets and two-droplet arrays of methanol and of mixtures of methanol and 1-dodecanol, initially 0.9 mm in diameter, were burned in room-temperature air at pressures from 0.1 MPa to 9.0 MPa in the NASA Lewis 2.2-second drop tower. The work is a continuation of a collaborative Japan-US research effort designed to increase knowledge of high-pressure combustion of fuel sprays, relevant to application in propulsive and power-production devices such as Diesel engines. Some previous publications from this cooperative program may be cited. All of the previous experiments concerned alkanes and alkane mixtures. The new research reported here addresses alcohols and alcohol mixtures, to ascertain the degree to which previous results for alkanes extend to alcohols. There have been many previous experimental studies of methanol droplet combustion and a few of alcohol mixtures, but not at the high pressures of interest here. There is some experimental information on methanol droplet combustion at elevated pressure but none on the alcohol mixtures extending to critical pressures, as in the present study.

Okai, K.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Combustion of 10–100 μm aluminum droplets in detonation products gases

Here we describe a two-phase model of combustion effects in aluminized high explosive (HE) charges. It is based on: (i) a Gas Dynamic Model of the expansion of the detonation product gases and their turbulent combustion with air; and (ii) a Heterogeneous Continuum Model of aluminum (Al) droplets and their combustion with the detonation product gases. Initial conditions are based on an analytical similarity solution for a cylindrical Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) detonation propagating at the CJ detonation velocity. The CJ jump conditions are computed at the thermodynamic equilibrium state by the Cheetah code, assuming the Al droplets are inert. We assume that the Al is 10 % of the charge mass and occurs as droplets at the CJ state. Different initial droplet diameters, ranging from 10 to 100 microns, are studied. A hydrodynamic combustion model based on large Damköhler numbers is employed in this study, -3σ(1 + 0.276 $\sqrt{Re}$)/($Kd^2_w$). It has a square-root dependence on the Reynolds number (Re) and inversed-squared dependence on the droplet diameter (d w ). The burnout time (t B ) of the Al droplets has a three-halves dependence on the droplet diameter, t B ~ ($d^0_w$) 3/2 . After burnout, the detonation products act as detonation products of the HE charge with active Al. They turbulently mix with air and form a combustion layer on the outer edge of the fireball. Details of the two-phase model, initial conditions and evolution of the flow field will be described.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1975

Investigation of critical burning of fuel droplets

Steady and unsteady combustion of liquid fuel droplets under rocket engine conditions was analyzed. Emphasis was placed on combustion at elevated pressures and temperatures. The results and their technical application to the design of liquid fueled rocket engines and the determination of combustion instability characteristics of these engines were summarized.

Faeth, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Combustion of Han-Based Monopropellant Droplets in Reduced Gravity

The objective of this research is to study combustion of monopropellant droplets and monopropellant droplet components in reduced-gravity environments so that spherical symmetry is strongly promoted. The experiments will use hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN, chemical formula NH3OHNO3) based monopropellants. This class of monopropellant is selected for study because of its current relevance and also because it is relatively benign and safe to work with. The experimental studies will allow for accurate determination of fundamental data on deflagration rates, gas-phase temperature profiles, transient gas-phase flame behaviors, the onset of bubbling in droplets at lower pressures, and the low-pressure deflagration limit. The theoretical studies will provide rational models of deflagration mechanisms of HAN-based liquid propellants. Besides advancing fundamental knowledge, the proposed research should aid in applications (e.g., spacecraft thrusters and liquid propellant guns) of this unique class of monopropellants.

Shaw, B. D.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Combustion Stages of a Single Heavy Oil Droplet in Microgravity

Heavy oil is a common fuel for industrial furnaces, boilers, marines and diesel engines. Previous studies showed that the combustion of heavy oil involves not only the complete burning of volatile matters but also the burn-out of coke residues. Detailed knowledge about heavy oil combustion therefore requires an understanding of the different burning stages of heavy oil droplets in the burner. This in turn, demands knowledge about the single droplet evaporation and combustion characteristics. This study measured the temperature and size histories of heavy oil (C glass) droplets burning in microgravity to elucidate the various stages that occur during combustion. The elimination of the gravity-induced gas convection in microgravity allows the droplet combustion to be studied in greater detail. Noting that the compositions of heavy oil are various, we also tested the fuel blends of a diesel light oil (LO) and a heavy oil residue (HOR).

Ikegami, M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Combustion Of Metals In Reduced Gravity And Extraterrestrial Environments

The recent focus of this research project has been to model the combustion of isolated metal droplets and, in particular, to couple the existing theories and formulations of phenomena such as condensation, reaction kinetics, radiation, and surface reactions to formulate a more complete combustion model. A fully transient, one-dimensional (spherical symmetry) numerical model that uses detailed chemical kinetics, multi-component molecular transport mechanisms, condensation kinetics, and gas phase radiation heat transfer was developed. A coagulation model was used to simulate the particulate formation of MgO. The model was used to simulate the combustion of an Mg droplet in pure O2 and CO2. Methanol droplet combustion is considered as a test case for the solution method for both quasi-steady and fully transient simulations. Although some important processes unique to methanol combustion, such as water absorption at the surface, are not included in the model, the results are in sufficient agreement with the published data. Since the major part of the heat released in combustion of Mg, and in combustion of metals in general, is due to the condensation of the metal oxide, it is very important to capture the condensation processes correctly. Using the modified nucleation theory, an Arrhenius type rate expression is derived to calculate the condensation rate of MgO. This expression can be easily included in the CHEMKIN reaction mechanism format. Although very little property data is available for MgO, the condensation rate expression derived using the existing data is able to capture the condensation of MgO. An appropriate choice of the reference temperature to calculate the rate coefficients allows the model to correctly predict the subsequent heat release and hence the flame temperature.

Abbud-Madrid, A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

On the combustion of n-butyl acetate droplets

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study of the combustion of isolated n‑butyl acetate droplets in the standard atmosphere. Numerical simulations are reported using a model that incorporates unsteady gas and liquid transport, variable properties, and radiation. Three skeletal mechanisms of n‑butyl acetate, derived from a large detailed mechanism comprised of 819 species and 52,698 reactions, were used in the numerical simulations to evaluate the influence of the kinetic mechanism on burning. The reduced mechanisms comprised 212 species and 5413 reactions, 157 species and 3089 reactions, and 105 species and 1035 reactions. The numerical model did not include soot formation, though qualitatively mild sooting was noted only for droplets larger than 0.7 mm. The numerical predictions were in good agreement with experimental measurements of droplet and flame diameters. Flame extinction was numerically predicted which was attributed to a decrease of the characteristic diffusion time relative to the chemical time as droplet burned. Effects of initial droplet diameter on the evolution of maximum gas temperature (Tmax) and peak mole fractions of CO2 and CO are also examined numerically.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1991

A novel gas-droplet numerical method for spray combustion

This paper presents a non-iterative numerical technique for computing time-dependent gas-droplet flows. The method is a fully-interacting combination of Eulerian fluid and Lagrangian particle calculation. The interaction calculations between the two phases are formulated on a pressure-velocity coupling procedure based on the operator-splitting technique. This procedure eliminates the global iterations required in the conventional particle-source-in-cell (PSIC) procedure. Turbulent dispersion calculations are treated by a stochastic procedure. Numerical calculations and comparisons with available experimental data, as well as efficiency assessments are given for some sprays typical of spray combustion applications.

Chen, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Laser velocimetry measurements in a gas turbine research combustor

The effects of turbulence on the production of pollutant species in a gas-turbine research combustor are studied using laser diffraction velocimetry (LDV) techniques. Measurements that were made in the primary combustion zone include mean velocity, rms velocity fluctuations, velocity probability distributions, and autocorrelation functions. A unique combustor design provides relatively uniform flow conditions and independent control of drop size, equivalence ratio, inlet temperature, and combustor pressure. Parameters which characterize the nature of the spray combustion (i.e., whether single droplet or group combustion occurs), were determined from the LDV data. Turbulent diffusivity (eddy viscosity) reaches a value of 2930 sq cm/sec, corresponding to a convective integral length scale of 1.8 cm. The group combustion number, based on turbulent diffusivity, is measured to be 6.2

Driscoll, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Combustion of liquid fuels in a flowing combustion gas environment at high pressures

The combustion of fuel droplets in gases which simulate combustion chamber conditions was considered both experimentally and theoretically. The fuel droplets were simulated by porous spheres and allowed to gasify in combustion gases produced by a burner. Tests were conducted for pressures of 1-40 atm, temperatures of 600-1500 K, oxygen concentrations of 0-13% (molar) and approach Reynolds numbers of 40-680. The fuels considered in the tests included methanol, ethanol, propanol-1, n-pentane, n-heptane and n-decane. Measurements were made of both the rate of gasification of the droplet and the liquid surface temperature. Measurements were compared with theory, involving various models of gas phase transport properties with a multiplicative correction for the effect of forced convection.

Canada, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Droplet Cluster Behavior in Dense and Dilute Regions of a Spray

A review is presented of modeling work relevant to evaporation and combustion in liquid rocket engine chamber. Highlights of models describing evaporation, ignition, and combustion of clusters of binary-fuel drops are discussed along with strategies for using these models to construct a model of a liquid rocket combustion chamber.

rockets combustion droplets↗
NASA NTRS2002

Validated Numerical Models for the Convective Extinction of Fuel Droplets (CEFD)

The NASA Nebraska Space Grant (NSGC) & EPSCoR programs have continued their effort to support outstanding research endeavors by funding the Numerical Simulation of the Combustion of Fuel Droplets study at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL). This team of researchers has developed a transient numerical model to study the combustion of suspended and moving droplets. The engines that propel missiles, jets, and many other devices are dependent upon combustion. Therefore, data concerning the combustion of fuel droplets is of immediate relevance to aviation and aeronautical personnel, especially those involved in flight operations. The experiments being conducted by Dr. Gogos and Dr. Nayagam s research teams, allow investigators to gather data for comparison with theoretical predictions of burning rates, flame structures, and extinction conditions. The consequent improved fundamental understanding of droplet combustion may contribute to the clean and safe utilization of fossil fuels (Williams, Dryer, Haggard & Nayagam, 1997, f 2). The present state of knowledge on convective extinction of fuel droplets derives from experiments conducted under normal gravity conditions. However, any data obtained with suspended droplets under normal gravity are grossly affected by gravity. The need to obtain experimental data under microgravity conditions is therefore well justified and addresses one of the goals of NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) microgravity combustion experiment.

Gogos, George↗