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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 19 records

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NASA NTRS1989

Two-dimensional analysis of two-phase reacting flow in a firing direct-injection diesel engine

The flow field, spray penetration, and combustion in two-stroke diesel engines are described. Fuel injection begins at 345 degrees after top dead center (ATDC) and n-dodecane is used as the liquid fuel. Arrhenius kinetics is used to calculate the reaction rate term in the quasi-global combustion model. When the temperature, fuel, and oxygen mass fraction are within suitable flammability limits, combustion begins spontaneously. No spark is necessary to ignite a localized high temperature region. Compression is sufficient to increase the gaseous phase temperature to a point where spontaneous chemical reactions occur. Results are described for a swirl angle of 22.5 degrees.

Nguyen, H. Lee↗

NASA NTRS1977

Current status of droplet and liquid combustion

The present understanding of spray combustion in rocket engine, gas turbine, Diesel engine and industrial furnace applications is reviewed. In some cases, spray combustion can be modeled by ignoring the details of spray evaporation and treating the system in the same manner as a gaseous diffusion flame; however, in many circumstances, this type of simplification is not adequate and the turbulent two-phase flow must be considered. The behavior of individual droplets is a necessary component of two-phase models and recent work on transient droplet evaporation, ignition and combustion is considered, along with a discussion of important simplifying assumptions involved with modeling these processes. Methods of modeling spray evaporation and combustion processes are also discussed including: one-dimensional models for rocket engine and prevaporized combustion systems, lumped zone models (utilizing well-stirred reactor and plug flow regions) for gas turbine and furnace systems, locally homogeneous turbulent models, and two-phase models. The review highlights the need for improved injector characterization methods, more information of droplet transport characteristics in turbulent flow and continued development of more complete two-phase turbulent models.

Faeth, G. M.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Current status of droplet and liquid combustion

The present understanding of spray combustion in rocket engine, gas turbine, Diesel engine and industrial furnace applications is reviewed. In some cases, spray combustion can be modeled by ignoring the details of spray evaporation and treating the system as a gaseous diffusion flame; however, in many circumstances, this simplification is not adequate and turbulent two-phase flow must be considered. The behavior of individual droplets is a necessary component of two-phase models and recent work on transient droplet evaporation, ignition and combustion is considered, along with a discussion of important simplifying assumptions involved with modeling these processes. Methods of modeling spray evaporation and combustion processes are also discussed including: one-dimensional models for rocket engine and prevaporized combustion systems, lumped zone models (utilizing well-stirred reactor and plug flow regions) for gas turbine and furnace systems, locally homogeneous turbulent models, and two-phase models. The review highlights the need for improved injector characterization methods, more information of droplet transport characteristics in turbulent flow and continued development of more complete two-phase turbulent models

Faeth, G. M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Three-dimensional modeling of diesel engine intake flow, combustion and emissions

A three-dimensional computer code (KIVA) is being modified to include state-of-the-art submodels for diesel engine flow and combustion: spray atomization, drop breakup/coalescence, multi-component fuel vaporization, spray/wall interaction, ignition and combustion, wall heat transfer, unburned HC and NOx formation, soot and radiation, and the intake flow process. Improved and/or new submodels which were completed are: wall heat transfer with unsteadiness and compressibility, laminar-turbulent characteristic time combustion with unburned HC and Zeldo'vich NOx, and spray/wall impingement with rebounding and sliding drops. Results to date show that adding the effects of unsteadiness and compressibility improves the accuracy of heat transfer predictions; spray drop rebound can occur from walls at low impingement velocities (e.g., in cold-starting); larger spray drops are formed at the nozzle due to the influence of vaporization on the atomization process; a laminar-and-turbulent characteristic time combustion model has the flexibility to match measured engine combustion data over a wide range of operating conditions; and finally, the characteristic time combustion model can also be extended to allow predictions of ignition. The accuracy of the predictions is being assessed by comparisons with available measurements. Additional supporting experiments are also described briefly. To date, comparisons with measured engine cylinder pressure and heat flux data were made for homogeneous charge, spark-ignited and compression-ignited engines. The model results are in good agreement with the experiments.

Reitz, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1936

Ignition and Flame Development in the Case of Diesel Fuel Injection

To investigate the process of ignition and combustion in the case of spray injection into heated air, a new form of apparatus is developed and the tests carried out with it described. Photographs of the spray before and after ignition are obtained at frequencies of 500 pictures per second. Pressures and temperatures are simultaneously recorded on oscillograms. Information on the initial conditions, ignition time lag, period of complete combustion, place where ignition starts, and general course of the combustion is obtained.

Holfelder, Otto↗

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.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Symposium on Combustion /International/, 16th, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., August 15-20, 1976, Proceedings

Aspects of combustion technology in power systems are considered, taking into account a combustion in large boilers, the control of over-all thermal efficiency of combustion heating systems, a comparison of mathematical models of the radiative behavior of a large-scale experimental furnace, a concentric multiannular swirl burner, and the effects of water introduction on diesel engine combustion and emissions. Attention is also given to combustion and related processes in energy production from coal, spray and droplet combustion, soot formation and growth, the kinetics of elementary reactions, flame structure and chemistry, propellant ignition and combustion, fire and explosion research, mathematical modeling, high output combustion systems, turbulent flames and combustion, and ignition, optical, and electrical properties.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1988

Liquid sprays and flow studies in the direct-injection diesel engine under motored conditions

A two dimensional, implicit finite difference method of the control volume variety, a two equation model of turbulence, and a discrete droplet model were used to study the flow field, turbulence levels, fuel penetration, vaporization, and mixing in diesel engine environments. The model was also used to study the effects of engine speed, injection angle, spray cone angle, droplet distribution, and intake swirl angle on the flow field, spray penetration and vaporization, and turbulence in motored two-stroke diesel engines. It is shown that there are optimum conditions for injection, which depend on droplet distribution, swirl, spray cone angle, and injection angle. The optimum conditions result in good spray penetration and vaporization and in good fuel mixing. The calculation presented clearly indicates that internal combustion engine models can be used to assess, at least qualitatively, the effects of injection characteristics and engine operating conditions on the flow field and on the spray penetration and vaporization in diesel engines.

Nguyen, Hung Lee↗

NASA NTRS1993

Three-dimensional modeling of diesel engine intake flow, combustion and emissions-2

A three-dimensional computer code, KIVA, is being modified to include state-of-the-art submodels for diesel engine flow and combustion. Improved and/or new submodels which have already been implemented and previously reported are: wall heat transfer with unsteadiness and compressibility, laminar-turbulent characteristic time combustion with unburned HC and Zeldo'vich NO(x), and spray/wall impingement with rebounding and sliding drops. Progress on the implementation of improved spray drop drag and drop breakup models, the formulation and testing of a multistep kinetics ignition model, and preliminary soot modeling results are described. In addition, the use of a block structured version of KIVA to model the intake flow process is described. A grid generation scheme was developed for modeling realistic (complex) engine geometries, and computations were made of intake flow in the ports and combustion chamber of a two-intake-value engine. The research also involves the use of the code to assess the effects of subprocesses on diesel engine performance. The accuracy of the predictions is being tested by comparisons with engine experiments. To date, comparisons were made with measured engine cylinder pressure, temperature and heat flux data, and the model results are in good agreement with the experiments. Work is in progress that will allow validation of in-cylinder flow and soot formation predictions. An engine test facility is described that is being used to provide the needed validation data. Test results were obtained showing the effect of injection rate and split injections on engine performance and emissions.

Reitz, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Electrostatic Dispersion Of Drops In Clusters

Electrical charging speeds evaporation. Report presents theoretical study of evaporation and dispersion of electrostatically charged clusters of drops in liquid fuel sprays. Represents extension of studies described in article, "More About Evaporation of Drops in Clusters" (NPO-17594). Undertaken in effort to learn how electrostatic atomization used to disperse fuel better in order to reduce formation of soot in diesel engines and other power and combustion systems.

Bellan, Josette↗

NASA NTRS1984

Measurements in liquid fuel sprays

Techniques for studying the events directly preceding combustion in the liquid fuel sprays are being used to provide information as a function of space and time on droplet size, shape, number density, position, angle of flight and velocity. Spray chambers were designed and constructed for: (1) air-assist liquid fuel research sprays; (2) high pressure and temperature chamber for pulsed diesel fuel sprays; and (3) coal-water slurry sprays. Recent results utilizing photography, cinematography, and calibration of the Malvern particle sizer are reported. Systems for simultaneous measurement of velocity and particle size distributions using laser Doppler anemometry interferometry and the application of holography in liquid fuel sprays are being calibrated.

Chigier, N.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

High-Speed Visualization of Spray Breakup in a Rotating Detonation Combustor Using Laser Induced Fluorescence

Rotating detonation engines (RDEs) represent a novel propulsion technology where incoming reactants are consumed by a self-sustaining detonation wave that travels azimuthally around an annular combustion chamber. In theory, the operating mode of these devices approximates a constant-volume combustion Humphry cycle. This represents a 5-15% increase in thermal efficiency over current rockets and air breathing systems operating on constant-pressure combustion Brayton cycles. The use of liquid fuels in RDEs represent unique challenges in terms of performance and operability. However, the fundamental physics involved in spray breakup, evaporation, and combustion are not well understood inside these devices. This research seeks to provide direct insight into these processes by adding a single liquid fuel injector into an otherwise hydrogen-air RDE to evaluate the breakup and refill dynamics. Visualization is performed by 200-1000 kHz laser induced fluorescence of liquid phase diesel (355 nm) and or kerosene (266 nm).

Detonation↗

NASA NTRS1995

Overview of thermal barrier coatings in diesel engines

An understanding of delamination mechanisms in thermal barrier coatings has been developed for diesel engine applications through rig tests, structural analysis modeling, nondestructive evaluation, and engine evaluation of various thermal barrier coatings. This knowledge has resulted in improved thermal barrier coatings which survive abusive cyclic fatigue tests in high output diesel engines. Although much conflicting literature now exists regarding the impact of thermal barrier coatings on engine performance and fuel consumption, the changes in fuel consumption appear to be less than a few percent and can be negative for state-of-the-art diesel engines. The ability of the thermal barrier coating to improve fuel economy tends to be dependent on a number of factors including the fuel injection system, combustion chamber design, and the initial engine fuel economy. Limited investigations on state-of-the-art diesel engines have indicated that the surface connected porosity and coating surface roughness may influence engine fuel economy. Current research efforts on thermal barrier coatings are primarily directed at reducing in-cylinder heat rejection, thermal fatigue protection of underlying metal surfaces and a possible reduction in diesel engine emissions. Significant efforts are still required to improve the plasma spray processing capability and the economics for complex geometry diesel engine components.

Yonushonis, Thomas M.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Combustion Technology Outreach

Lewis' High Speed Research (HSR) Propulsion Project Office initiated a targeted outreach effort to market combustion-related technologies developed at Lewis for the next generation of supersonic civil transport vehicles. These combustion-related innovations range from emissions measurement and reduction technologies, to diagnostics, spray technologies, NOx and SOx reduction of burners, noise reduction, sensors, and fuel-injection technologies. The Ohio Aerospace Institute and the Great Lakes Industrial Technology Center joined forces to assist Lewis' HSR Office in this outreach activity. From a database of thousands of nonaerospace firms considered likely to be interested in Lewis' combustion and emission-related technologies, the outreach team selected 41 companies to contact. The selected companies represent oil-gas refineries, vehicle/parts suppliers, and manufacturers of residential furnaces, power turbines, nonautomobile engines, and diesel internal combustion engines.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1932

Effect of Engine Operating Conditions on the Vaporization of Safety Fuels

Tests were conducted with the N.A.C.A. combustion apparatus to determine the effect of compression ratio and engine temperature on the vaporization of a hydrogenated "safety fuel" during the compression stroke under conditions similar to those in a spark-ignition engine. The effects of fuel boiling temperature on vaporization using gasoline, safety fuel, and Diesel fuel oil was also investigated. The results show that increasing the compression ratio has little effect on the rate of fuel vaporization, but that increasing the air temperature by increasing the engine temperature increases the rate of fuel vaporization. The results also show that the vaporized fuel forms a homogeneous mixture with the air more rapidly that does the atomized fuel spray.

Rothrock, A M↗

NASA NTRS1988

Investigation of spray dispersion and particulate formation in diesel fuel flames

An experimental study of electrostatical atomized and dispersed diesel fuel jets was conducted at various back pressures to 40 atm. A new electrostatic injection technique was utilized to generate continuous, stable fuel sprays at charge densities of 1.5 to 2.0 C/m3 of fluid at one atm, and about 1.0 C/m3 at 40 atm. Flowrates were varied from 0.5 to 2.5 ml/s and electric potentials to -18 kV. Visual observations showed that significant enhanced dispersion of charged fuel jets occurred at high back pressures compared to aerodynamic breakup and dispersion. The average drop size was about the same as the spray triode orifice diameter, and was between the Kelly theory and the Rayleigh limit. The ignition tests, done only at one atm, indicated stable combustion of the electrostatically dispersed fuel jets.

Back, L. H.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Status of the CNRS-LCSR program on high pressure droplet vaporization and burning

Depending on the surrounding flow and thermodynamic conditions, a single droplet may experience several gasification regimes, ranging from the envelope flame regime to pure vaporization. In practical situations, such as rocket propulsion or diesel combustion, the size distribution of droplets is, at best, bimodal, so that the possibility exists for the simultaneous presence of various regimes. For example, very small droplets are transported by the gas phase with zero relative velocity. This picture validates then the spherical symmetry hypothesis applied to the droplet and to the diffusion flame enveloping it. On the other hand, for larger droplets, a relative velocity exists due to drag forces. The most important influence of forced convection on droplet burning is the possibility to extinguish globally the envelope flame, or to establish a flame stabilized in the wake region. The burning rates of these regimes differ strongly. The characteristic time of droplet gasification is also influenced by the surrounding pressure and temperature. A parametric investigation of single droplet burning regimes is then helpful in providing the necessary physical ideas for sub-grid models used in spray combustion numerical prediction codes. The CNRS-LCSR experimental program on droplet vaporization and burning deals with these various regimes: stagnant and convective monocomponent droplet burning convective mono and bicomponent droplet vaporization; high temperature convective mono and biocomponent droplet vaporization; burning regimes of hydrazine and hydroxyl-ammonium-nitrate based monopropellant droplets and the vaporization regimes of liquid oxygen droplets. Studies on interacting droplets and on liquid aluminum droplets will start in the near future. The influence of high pressure is a common feature of all these studies. This paper summarizes the status of the CNRS-LCSR program on the effects of high pressure on monocomponent single droplet burning and vaporization, and some recent results obtained under normal and reduced gravity conditions with suspended droplets are presented. In the work described here, parabolic flights of an aircraft is used to create a reduced gravity environment of the order of 10(exp -2) g.

Chauveau, Christian↗

NASA NTRS1983

Thermal and mechanical analysis of major components for the advanced adiabatic diesel engine

The proposed design for the light duty diesel is an in-line four cylinder spark assisted diesel engine mounted transversely in the front of the vehicle. The engine has a one piece cylinder head, with one intake valve and one exhaust valve per cylinder. A flat topped piston is used with a cylindrical combustion chamber recessed into the cylinder head directly under the exhaust valve. A single ceramic insert is cast into the cylinder head to insulate both the combustion chamber and the exhaust port. A similar ceramic insert is cast into the head to insulate the intake port. A ceramic faceplate is pressed into the combustion face of the head to insulate the face of the head from hot combustion gas. The valve seats are machined directly into the ceramic faceplate for the intake valve and into the ceramic exhaust pot insert for the exhaust valve. Additional ceramic applications in the head are the use of ceramic valve guides and ceramic insulated valves. The ceramic valve guides are press fit into the head and are used for increased wear resistance. The ceramic insulated valves are conventional valves with the valve faces plasma spray coated with ceramic for insulation.

Source record↗