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At least 397 records · Page 22

Quantitative characterization of a nonreacting, supersonic combustor flowfield using unified, laser-induced iodine fluorescence

A calibrated, nonintrusive optical technique, laser-induced iodine fluorescence (LIIF) was used to quantify the steady, compressible flowfield of a nonreacting, supersonic combustor. The combustor was configured with single and staged, transverse-air injection into a supersonic-air freestream behind a rearward-facing step. Pressure, temperature, two-velocity components, and injectant mole fraction were measured with high spatial resolution in the three-dimensional flowfields. These experimental results provide a benchmark set of data for validation of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) codes being developed to model supersonic combustor flowfields.

Fletcher, D. G.↗

Mixing enhancement in a supersonic combustor

Research has been conducted for a number of years at the NASA Langley Research Center to develop a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) capable of propelling a vehicle at hypersonic speeds in the atmosphere or beyond. Recently, that research has been directed toward the optimization of the scramjet combustor, and in particular the efficiency of fuel-air mixing and reaction in the engine. This paper describes a numerical study of fuel-air mixing and reaction in a supersonic combustor, and discusses the analysis of a technique that was used to enhance the mixing processes and overall combustion efficiency in the flow. Based on the results of that study, conclusions are drawn regarding the applicability of the technique to enhance mixing in a scramjet combustor.

Drummond, J. Philip↗

MATE (Materials for Advanced Turbine Engines) Program, Project 3. Volume 2: Design, fabrication and evaluation of an oxide dispersion strengthened sheet alloy combustor liner

The suitability of wrought oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) superalloy sheet for gas turbine engine combustor applications was evaluated. Two yttria (Y2O3) dispersion strengthened alloys were evaluated; Incoloy MA956 and Haynes Development Alloy (HDA) 8077 (NiCrAl base). Preliminary tests showed both alloys to be potentially viable combustor materials, with neither alloy exhibiting a significant advantage over the other. MA956 was selected as the final alloy based on manufacturing reproducibility for evaluation as a burner liner. A hybrid PW2037 inner burner liner containing MA956 and Hastelloy X components and using a louvered configuration was designed and constructed. The louvered configuration was chosen because of field experience and compatibility with the bill of material PW2037 design. The simulated flight cycle for the ground based engine tests consisted of 4.5 min idle, 1.5 min takeoff and intermediate conditions in a PW2037 engine with average uncorrected combustor exit temperature of 1527 C. Post test evaluation consisting of visual observations and fluorescent penetrant inspections was conducted after 500 cycles of testing. No loss of integrity in the burner liner was shown.

Bose, S.↗

Planar measurement of flow field parameters in a nonreacting supersonic combustor using laser-induced iodine fluorescence

A nonintrusive optical technique, laser-induced iodine fluorescence, has been used to obtain planar measurements of flow field parameters in the supersonic mixing flow field of a nonreacting supersonic combustor. The combustor design used in this work was configured with staged transverse sonic injection behind a rearward-facing step into a Mach 2.07 free stream. A set of spatially resolved measurements of temperature and injectant mole fraction has been generated. These measurements provide an extensive and accurate experimental data set required for the validation of computational fluid dynamic codes developed for the calculation of highly three-dimensional combustor flow fields.

Hartfield, Roy J., Jr.↗

A computational design tool for scramjet combustor film cooling and fuel mixing predictions

A methodology for the analysis of a film cooled combustor of a hydrogen-fueled, supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) is presented. The SHIP3D parabolic flow code, based on an extension of the pressure-correction method of Patankar and Spalding for compressible flow is used to compute the flow field in the combustor. The effect of film cooling on the overall vehicle performance is then calculated using the one-dimensional, multistep cycle code, CPIPE. Results are presented for a conceptual combustor at Mach 16 flight conditions. It is seen that film cooling can have a significant effect on the engine performance.

Kamath, Pradeep S.↗

Flow establishment in a generic scramjet combustor

The establishment of a quasi-steady flow in a generic scramjet combustor is studied for the case of a time varying inflow to the combustor. Such transient flow is characteristic of the reflected-shock tunnel and expansion-tube test facilities. Several numerical simulations of hypervelocity flow through a straight-duct combustor with either a side-wall-step fuel injector or a centrally-located strut injector are presented. Comparisons are made between impulsively started but otherwise constant flow conditions (typical of the expansion-tube or tailored operation of the reflected-shock tunnel) and the relaxing flow produced by the 'undertailored' operation of the reflected-shock tunnel. Generally the inviscid flow features, such as the shock pattern and pressure distribution, were unaffected by the time varying inlet conditions and approached steady state in approximately the times indicated by experimental correlations. However, viscous features, such as heat transfer and skin friction, were altered by the relaxing inlet flow conditions.

Jacobs, P. A.↗

Numerical study of supersonic combustors by multi-block grids with mismatched interfaces

A three dimensional, finite rate chemistry, Navier-Stokes code was extended to a multi-block code with mismatched interface for practical calculations of supersonic combustors. To ensure global conservation, a conservative algorithm was used for the treatment of mismatched interfaces. The extended code was checked against one test case, i.e., a generic supersonic combustor with transverse fuel injection, examining solution accuracy, convergence, and local mass flux error. After testing, the code was used to simulate the chemically reacting flow fields in a scramjet combustor with parallel fuel injectors (unswept and swept ramps). Computational results were compared with experimental shadowgraph and pressure measurements. Fuel-air mixing characteristics of the unswept and swept ramps were compared and investigated.

Moon, Young J.↗

Flow establishment in a generic scramjet combustor

The establishment of a quasi-steady flow in a generic scramjet combustor was studied for the case of a time varying inflow to the combustor. Such transient flow is characteristic of the reflected shock tunnel and expansion tube test facilities. Several numerical simulations of hypervelocity flow through a straight duct combustor with either a side wall step fuel injector or a centrally located strut injector are presented. Comparisons were made between impulsively started but otherwise constant flow conditions (typical of the expansion tube or tailored operations of the reflected shock tunnel) and the relaxing flow produced by the 'undertailored' operations of the reflected shock tunnel. Generally the inviscid flow features, such as the shock pattern and pressure distribution, were unaffected by the time varying inlet conditions and approached steady state in approx. the times indicated by experimental correlations. However, viscous features, such as heat transfer and skin friction, were altered by the relaxing inlet flow conditions.

Jacobs, P. A.↗

Preliminary calibration of a generic scramjet combustor

The results of a preliminary investigation of the combustion of hydrogen fuel at hypersonic flow conditions are provided. The tests were performed in a generic, constant-area combustor model with test gas supplied by a free-piston-driven reflected-shock tunnel. Static pressure measurements along the combustor wall indicated that burning did occur for combustor inlet conditions of P(static) approximately equal to 19kPa, T(static) approximately equal to 1080 K, and U approximately equal to 3630 m/s with a fuel equivalence ratio approximately equal to 0.9. These inlet conditions were obtained by operating the tunnel with stagnation enthalpy approximately equal to 8.1 MJ/kg, stagnation pressure approximately equal to 52 MPa, and a contoured nozzle with a nominal exit Mach number of 5.5.

Jacobs, P. A.↗

User's manual for rocket combustor interactive design (ROCCID) and analysis computer program. Volume 1: User's manual

The user's manual for the rocket combustor interactive design (ROCCID) computer program is presented. The program, written in Fortran 77, provides a standardized methodology using state of the art codes and procedures for the analysis of a liquid rocket engine combustor's steady state combustion performance and combustion stability. The ROCCID is currently capable of analyzing mixed element injector patterns containing impinging like doublet or unlike triplet, showerhead, shear coaxial, and swirl coaxial elements as long as only one element type exists in each injector core, baffle, or barrier zone. Real propellant properties of oxygen, hydrogen, methane, propane, and RP-1 are included in ROCCID. The properties of other propellants can easily be added. The analysis model in ROCCID can account for the influence of acoustic cavities, helmholtz resonators, and radial thrust chamber baffles on combustion stability. ROCCID also contains the logic to interactively create a combustor design which meets input performance and stability goals. A preliminary design results from the application of historical correlations to the input design requirements. The steady state performance and combustion stability of this design is evaluated using the analysis models, and ROCCID guides the user as to the design changes required to satisfy the user's performance and stability goals, including the design of stability aids. Output from ROCCID includes a formatted input file for the standardized JANNAF engine performance prediction procedure.

Muss, J. A.↗

User's manual for rocket combustor interactive design (ROCCID) and analysis computer program. Volume 2: Appendixes A-K

The appendices A-K to the user's manual for the rocket combustor interactive design (ROCCID) computer program are presented. This includes installation instructions, flow charts, subroutine model documentation, and sample output files. The ROCCID program, written in Fortran 77, provides a standardized methodology using state of the art codes and procedures for the analysis of a liquid rocket engine combustor's steady state combustion performance and combustion stability. The ROCCID is currently capable of analyzing mixed element injector patterns containing impinging like doublet or unlike triplet, showerhead, shear coaxial and swirl coaxial elements as long as only one element type exists in each injector core, baffle, or barrier zone. Real propellant properties of oxygen, hydrogen, methane, propane, and RP-1 are included in ROCCID. The properties of other propellants can be easily added. The analysis models in ROCCID can account for the influences of acoustic cavities, helmholtz resonators, and radial thrust chamber baffles on combustion stability. ROCCID also contains the logic to interactively create a combustor design which meets input performance and stability goals. A preliminary design results from the application of historical correlations to the input design requirements. The steady state performance and combustion stability of this design is evaluated using the analysis models, and ROCCID guides the user as to the design changes required to satisfy the user's performance and stability goals, including the design of stability aids. Output from ROCCID includes a formatted input file for the standardized JANNAF engine performance prediction procedure.

Muss, J. A.↗

Numerical study of supersonic combustors by multi-block grids with mismatched interfaces

A three-dimensional, finite-rate chemistry, Navier-Stokes code has been extended to a multi-block with mismatched interface code for practical calculations of supersonic combustors. To ensure global conservation, a conservative algorithm was used for the treatment of mismatched interfaces. The extended code was checked against one test case, i.e., a generic supersonic combustor with transverse fuel injection, examining solution accuracy, convergence, and local mass flux error. After testing, the code was used to simulate the chemically reacting flow fields in a scramjet combustor with parallel fuel injectors (unswept and swept ramps). Computational results were compared with experimental shadowgraph and pressure measurements. Fuel-air mixing characteristics of the unswept and swept ramps were compared and investigated.

Moon, Young J.↗

Combustion efficiency determined from wall pressure and temperature measurement in a Mach 2 combustor

A study of transverse hydrogen injection behind a rearward facing step in a Mach 2 airflow was conducted to determine the combustion efficiency and the combustor/inlet interactions at the low temperature lean-mixture operational end of a scramjet combustor model. The fuel was injected at sonic conditions into the electrically heated airstream, which was maintained at 850 K or below. The static pressure delivered at the entrance of the combustor ranged between 0.25 to 0.5 atm. Injector configurations included single and staged injectors placed at 3 or 3-and-7 step-heights downstream of the step, respectively, with injector diameters of 1, 1.5, and 2 mm. Ignition was achieved by initially unstarting the test section. The constant area combustor and the low initial temperatures caused thermal choking and upstream interaction to occur at very low equivalence ratios. Typically, most of the fuel was burned in the recirculation region behind the step and around the jets. The effects of initial conditions (temperature and pressure), fuel-to-air dynamic pressure ratio, and boundaries (thermal vs adiabatic) are presented.

Segal, Corin↗

Numerical simulation of the reactive flow in advanced (HSR) combustors using KIVA-2

Recent work has been done with the goal of establishing ultralow emission aircraft gas turbine combustors. A significant portion of the effort is the development of three dimensional computational combustor models. The KIVA-II computer code which is based on the Implicit Continuous Eulerian Difference mesh Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ICED-ALE) numerical scheme is one of the codes selected by NASA to achieve these goals. This report involves a simulation of jet injection through slanted slots within the Rich burn/Quick quench/Lean burn (RQL) baseline experimental rig. The RQL combustor distinguishes three regions of combustion. This work specifically focuses on modeling the quick quench mixer region in which secondary injection air is introduced radially through 12 equally spaced slots around the mixer circumference. Steady state solutions are achieved with modifications to the KIVA-II program. Work currently underway will evaluate thermal mixing as a function of injection air velocity and angle of inclination of the slots.

Winowich, Nicholas S.↗

High-temperature durability considerations for HSCT combustor

The novel combustor designs for the High Speed Civil Transport will require high temperature materials with long term environmental stability. Higher liner temperatures than in conventional combustors and the need for reduced weight necessitates the use of advanced ceramic matrix composites. The combustor environment is defined at the current state of design, the major degradation routes are discussed for each candidate ceramic material, and where possible, the maximum use temperatures are defined for these candidate ceramics.

Jacobson, Nathan S.↗

Scramjet combustor analysis with the SHIP3D PNS code

The SHIP3D PNS code has the capability to perform 3D computations of scramjet combustors efficiently at flight Mach numbers of 10 and above, where the combustor flow is mostly supersonic. The fast solution times make skin friction and heat transfer calculations feasible and permit the utilization of multiequation turbulence models. Application of this relatively uncomplicated methodology to compute scramjet combustor flow fields and heat transfer is presented with particular emphasis on the treatment of ramp fuel injectors.

Kamath, Pradep S.↗

A numerical study of the effects of geometry on the performance of a supersonic combustor

A numerical study is conducted to investigate the effects of two combustor scale parameters, the expansion angle and the length of the constant area combustor section, on the mixing and combustion within a supersonic combustor. This study uses the SPARK 3D Navier-Stokes code. Turbulence is modeled utilizing an algebraic eddy viscosity model and the chemical mechanism is modeled with a 7-reaction, 7-species finite-rate chemistry model. The calculations show that, even at the relatively low flight Mach numbers (5-7) associated with the conditions examined, the chemical constituents are far from equilibrium, and therefore that kinetics effects are important.

Eklund, Dean R.↗

Computation of the flow field in an annular gas turbine combustor

The KIVA-II code was modified to calculate the 3D flow field in a typical annular gas turbine combustor. The airblast fuel nozzle, cooling baffle, cooling slots, primary and dilution jets, and effusion cooling (bleed) pads were accounted for in this calculation. The turbulence and combustion were modeled using the k-epsilon model and laminar Arrhenius kinetics, respectively. The fuel was modeled as an evaporating liquid spray. The results illustrate the complicated flow fields present in such combustors. From the results obtained to date it appears that the modified KIVA-II code can be used to study the effects of different annular combustor designs and operating conditions.

Cline, Michael C.↗