Date of Award
Fall 2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Program/Concentration
Aerospace Engineering
Committee Director
Kareem Ahmed
Committee Member
Shizhi Qian
Committee Member
Xiaoyu Zhang
Call Number for Print
Special Collections; LD4331.E56 M24 2014
Abstract
The concept of the Pulse Detonation Engine (PDE) has been of interest for centuries. The issue was originally studied to understand flame propagation in mine shafts after explosions due to methane buildup. The flames would travel down the shafts, transitioning to turbulent flames due to the roughness of the shaft walls, and accelerate to detonation, delivering powerful, destructive forces. The potential for efficient energy production was noticed, and the theory behind flame propagation was later applied to developing propulsion systems. Recently, researchers have begun to understand the full potential of PDEs to efficiently produce an immense amount of thrust due to generated detonation wave. Numerous experimental PDE facilities have been engineered which successfully achieve detonation through the use of solid obstructions to induce turbulent combustion. These obstacles create recirculation regions within the propagating flame and reflect acoustic waves, both of which contribute to turbulence production within the flame. Turbulence production is important because it increases the surface area of the flame, which causes the flame to accelerate and achieve detonation more quickly. Despite success, the use of a solid object has numerous drawbacks including pressure losses and heat soaking. An alternate solution to induce turbulence is through the use of a fluidic-based jet. The goal of the current research is to investigate the fundamental physics governing the interaction of a laminar deflagrated flame with a fluidic jet. The fluidic jet is an efficient mechanism for inducing turbulence and flame acceleration relative to solid obstacles. The control of jet velocity provides dynamic control of turbulent production mechanisms. Additionally, the jet eliminates pressure losses and heat soak effects induced by obstacles. A PDE experimental setup is utilized in developing an understanding of the jet-flame interaction. The effects of varying equivalence ratios of methane and air for the flame and jet, as well as varying jet momentum ratios, on the interaction are studied. The facility is constructed of optically clear acrylic, which allows for analysis of the interaction with non-invasive testing methods including Schlieren imaging, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), and Chemiluminescence. These techniques provide qualitative and quantitative data pertaining to the interaction, which are used to define the physics of the interaction.
Rights
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DOI
10.25777/hebk-j392
Recommended Citation
McGarry, Joseph P..
"Laminar Deflagrated Flame Interaction with A Fluidic Jet Flow for Deflagration-To-Detonation Flame Acceleration"
(2014). Master of Science (MS), Thesis, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/hebk-j392
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/mae_etds/606
Included in
Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Commons, Aeronautical Vehicles Commons, Propulsion and Power Commons