Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “injectors”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18

Experimental investigation of a swept-strut fuel-injector concept for scramjet application

Results are presented of an experiment to investigate the behavior at Mach 4 flight conditions of the swept-strut fuel-injector concept employed in the Langley integrated modular scramjet engine design. Autoignition of the hydrogen fuel was not achieved at stagnation temperatures corresponding to a flight Mach number of 4; however, once ignition was achieved, stable combustion was maintained. Pressure disturbances upstream of the injector location, which were caused by fuel injection and combustion, were generally not observed; this indicates the absence of serious adverse combustor-inlet interactions. Mixing performance and reaction performance determined from probe surveys and wall pressure data indicate that high combustion efficiency should be obtained with the combustor length provided in the scramjet engine design. No adverse interaction between the perpendicular and parallel fuel-injection modes was observed.

Anderson, G. Y.↗

Study of effects of injector geometry on fuel-air mixing and combustion

An implicit finite-difference method has been developed for computing the flow in the near field of a fuel injector as part of a broader study of the effects of fuel injector geometry on fuel-air mixing and combustion. Detailed numerical results have been obtained for cases of laminar and turbulent flow without base injection, corresponding to the supersonic base flow problem. These numerical results indicated that the method is stable and convergent, and that significant savings in computer time can be achieved, compared with explicit methods.

Bangert, L. H.↗

Rocket injector head

A high number of liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen orifices per unit area are provided in an injector head designed to give intimate mixing and more thorough combustion. The injector head comprises a main body portion, a cooperating plate member as a flow chamber for one propellant, a cooperating manifold portion for the second propellant, and an annular end plate for enclosing an annular propellant groove formed around the outer edge of the body. All the openings for one propellant are located at the same angle with respect to a radial plane to permit a short combustion chamber.

Green, C. W., Jr.↗

Characterization of a swept-strut hydrogen fuel-injector for scramjet applications

Results of an experimental investigation of a swept-strut hydrogen fuel-injector simulating the center strut of a three strut scramjet module at Mach 6 flight conditions are presented. Detailed wall pressure distributions from over 100 separate tests with overall fuel flow from 0.1 to 1.3 times stoichiometric and test gas stagnation temperature from 1100 to 2400 K were recorded. The distance for pressure rise from the point of injection was found to increase with increasing test stagnation temperature. This trend indicates that chemical kinetics in the immediate region of perpendicular injection are not likely to be the mechanism controlling the onset of pressure rise. A fluid dynamic mechanism is suggested involving separation of the boundary layer downstream of injection which is forced upstream from the trailing edge by pressure rise due to combustion occurring in the base region of the strut. The results obtained indicate that the swept-strut fuel-injector concept can be adapted to a wide range of flight conditions by varying the amount of perpendicular fuel injection.

Northam, G. B.↗

Atomizing characteristics of swirl can combustor modules with swirl blast fuel injectors

Cold flow atomization tests of several different designs of swirl can combustor modules were conducted in a 7.6 cm diameter duct at airflow rates (per unit area) of 7.3 to 25.7 g/sq cm sec and water flow rates of 6.3 to 18.9 g/sec. The effect of air and water flow rates on the mean drop size of water sprays produced with the swirl blast fuel injectors were determined. Also, from these data it was possible to determine the effect of design modifications on the atomizing performance of various fuel injector and air swirler configurations. The trend in atomizing performance, as based on the mean drop size, was then compared with the trends in the production of nitrogen oxides obtained in combustion studies with the same swirl can combustors.

Ingebo, R. D.↗

Fuel injector characterization studies

The atomization of several general aviation piston engine manifold port fuel injectors was investigated. The injectors were installed in a test rig and operated under simulated conditions. Laser interferometric techniques were used to optically probe the spray droplet fields for droplet size and velocity at numerous spatial locations throughout the field.

Houser, M. J.↗

Small gas-turbine combustor study: Fuel injector evaluation

As part of a continuing effort at the Lewis Research Center to improve performance, emissions, and reliability of turbine machinery, an investigation of fuel injection technique and effect of fuel type on small gas turbine combustors was undertaken. Performance and pollutant emission levels are documented over a range of simulated flight conditions for a reverse flow combustor configuration using simplex pressure-atomizing, spill-flow return, and splash cone airblast injectors. A parametric evaluation of the effect of increased combustor loading with each of the fuel injector types was obtained. Jet A and an experimental referee broad specification fuel were used to determine the effect of fuel type.

Norgren, C. T.↗

Small gas-turbine combustor study - Fuel injector evaluation

As part of a continuing effort at the Lewis Research Center to improve performance, emissions, and reliability of turbine machinery, an investigation was undertaken to determine the effect of fuel injection technique and fuel type on similar improvements for small gas-turbine combustors. Performance and pollutant emission levels are documented over a range of simulated flight conditions for a reverse-flow combustor configuration using simplex pressure-atomizing, spill-flow return, and splash cone airblast injectors. A parametric evaluation of the effect of increased combustor loading with each of the fuel injector types was obtained. Jet A and an experimental referee broad specification fuel were used to determine and compare effects of burning different types of fuels in a small experimental gas turbine combustor.

Norgren, C. T.↗

Design, fabrication, test, and delivery of a high-pressure oxygen/RP-1 injector

A summary of the design analyses for a liquid rocket injector using oxygen and RP-1 propellants at high chamber pressures of 20,682 kPa (3000 psia) is presented. This analytical investigation includes combustion efficiency versus injector element type, combustion stability, and combustor cooling requirements. The design and fabrication of a subscale injector/acoustic resonantor assembly capable of providing a nominal thrust of 222K N (50,000 lbF) is presented.

Schoenman, L.↗

Small gas turbine combustor study: Fuel injector performance in a transpiration-cooled liner

The effect of fuel injection technique on the performance of an advanced reverse flow combustor liner constructed of Lamilloy (a multilaminate transpiration type material) was determined. Performance and emission levels are documented over a range of simulated flight conditions using simplex pressure atomizing, spill return, and splash cone airblast injectors. A parametric evaluation of the effect of increased combustor loading with each of the fuel injector types is obtained.

Riddlebaugh, S. M.↗

Small gas turbine combustor study - Fuel injector performance in a transpiration-cooled liner

The effect of fuel injection technique on the performance of an advanced reverse flow combustor liner constructed of Lamilloy (a multilaminate transpiration type material) was determined. Performance and emission levels are documented over a range of simulated flight conditions using simplex pressure atomizing, spill return, and splash cone airblast injectors. A parametric evaluation of the effect of increased combustor loading with each of the fuel injector types is obtained.

Riddlebaugh, S. M.↗

Three-dimensional computation of mixing of transverse injector in a ducted supersonic airstream

Numerical solutions of the three-dimensional mass-averaged elliptic Navier-Stokes equations, including species transport, are obtained for nonreacting, turbulent, mixing flow fields for the case of transverse sonic injection of a secondary gas into a supersonic airstream through a circular orifice injector. Results are presented for flow through a constant area duct and through a duct with a rearward-facing step upstream of the injector. The equations are numerically integrated using MacCormack's explicit method and turbulence is included using the Baldwin-Lomax algebraic eddy viscosity model. In the species transport and energy equations, diffusion coefficients based on Fick's law and an assumption of unit Lewis number are applied. The computations were performed on a CDC-VPS-32 (extended version of Cyber-205) using a grid consisting of approximately 200,000 points. The computed results are compared with experimentally observed penetration and spreading boundaries for an injected gas at two dynamic pressure ratios. Three-dimensional flow field structures are dipicted in terms of static pressure, mass fractions of species and velocity vectors.

Uenishi, K.↗

Swirl coaxial injector element characterization for booster engines

Recent hot fire testing at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has indicated the swirl-coaxial element to be a viable candidate for the STBE injector. Plans are to test the current 40K lbf thrust injector at the higher chamber pressure and colder fuel temperature which are anticipated for STBE. A cold flow program to characterize the swirl coax element over a range of operating points was conducted. The results are presented and compared to the hot fire data. Predictions for compatibility, performance and stability are then presented for the uprated test conditions.

Meagher, Gregory M.↗

Flow in a model of the SSME main injector bowl

Mean-flow and turbulence quantities obtained in a 32-percent acrylic model of the SSME main injector bowl are presented. Flow visualization obtained with laser sheets and conventional photography shows the basic patterns and identifies regions of recirculating flow. Measurements of mean-flow and turbulence normal stresses are obtained with laser velocimetry to confirm these results and to quantify flow characteristics in the inlet ducts, entrance region, racetrack, LOX-post bundle, and exit nozzle. Measured velocity distributions show the upstream effect of the injector bowl in the transfer ducts, the plenum effect of the racetrack and LOX-post bundle, and the nonuniform distribution of flow into the main exit nozzle.

Thompson, B. E.↗

A three-dimensional approach for analysis of sidewall injector mixing and combustion

A three-dimensional (3-D) analytical approach to calculate the mixing and combustion efficiency along engine combustors that use sidewall fuel injectors is described. The analysis consists of three parts: (1) an empirical correlation for fuel penetration, (2) application of integral conservation laws following jet turning and pressure equilibration, and (3) an analytical solution for the simplified three-dimensional partial differential equations to describe the downstream mixing and combustion process. Numerical results are compared to some empirical and experimental work, and favorable agreements are shown. The importance of including anisotropic turbulence and three-dimensional effects are illustrated by comparison with data and other less comprehensive analyses. The analytical solution is suitable for rapid estimates of engine performance and parametric studies of combustor designs containing transverse or angled injector ports arranged in rows and/or columns.

Quan, Victor↗

Investigations of ice formation in the Space Shuttle Main Engine 0209 main injector coolant cavity

Severe main combustion chamber wall and main injector baffle element deterioration occurred during tests of Space Shuttle Main Engine 0209. One of the possible causes considered is ice formation and blockage of coolant to these components, resulting from the mixing of leaking hot turbine exhaust gas (hydrogen rich steam) and hydrogen coolant in the injector coolant cavity. The plausibility of ice blockage is investigated through simple mixing calculations for hot gas and hydrogen, investigation of condensation and water droplet formation, calculation of the freezing times for droplets, and the prediction of ice layer thicknesses. It is concluded that condensation and droplet formation can occur, and small water droplets that form can freeze very quickly when in contact with the cold coolant cavity surfaces. Copnservative analysis predicts, however, that the maximum thickness of the ice layers formed is too small to result in significant blockage of the coolant flow.

Richards, D. R.↗

Extended temperature range rocket injector

A rocket injector is provided with multiple sets of manifolds for supplying propellants to injector elements. Sensors transmit the temperatures of the propellants to a suitable controller which is operably connnected to valves between these manifolds and propellant storage tanks. When cryogenic propellant temperatures are sensed, only a portion of the valves are opened to furnish propellants to some of the manifolds. When lower temperatures are sensed, additional valves are opened to furnish propellants to more of the manifolds.

Schneider, Steven J.↗

CFD modeling of turbulent flows around the SSME main injector assembly using porosity formulation

Hot gas turbulent flow distribution around the main injector assembly of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) and liquid oxygen (LOX) flow distributions through the LOX posts have great effect on the combustion phenomenon inside the main combustion chamber. An advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis will help to provide more accurate and efficient characterization of this type of flow field. In order to design a CFD model to be an effective engineering analysis tool with good computational turn-around time and still maintain good accuracy in describing the flow features, the concept of porosity is employed to describe the effects of blockage and drag force due to the presence of the LOX posts in the turbulent flow field around the main injector assembly of the SSME. A validated non-isotropic porosity model is developed and incorporated into an existing Navier-Stokes flow solver (FDNS). Volume and surface porosity parameters, which are based on the configurations of local LOX post clustering, are introduced into the governing equations.

Cheng, Gary C.↗