Combustion of lean fuel mixtures with subcritical streamer microwave discharge

P V Bulat,K N Volkov,L P Grachev,I I Esakov

doi:10.1088/1757-899x/1047/1/012052

Abstract

A sub-critical microwave discharge is used to achieve a stable ignition and combustion of lean air-fuel mixtures in a long tube. The microwave discharge is burnt at the presence of initiator with the quasi-optical microwave beam. The resonance way of initiation of a microwave discharge is more effective compared to traditional plasma-assisted ways of ignition and stabilization of combustion. The experimental observations show that ignition and combustion of a lean air and propane mixture in a long tube is achieved at low ignition limit with fuel/air ratio lower than 0.55. The results obtained are useful for design of new and improvement of the existing plasma-assisted technologies in aviation industry.

Highlights

There are three main methods of organizing combustion: diffuse mixing of fuel and oxidizer, combustion of premixed mixtures and catalytic combustion [1]
A sub-critical microwave discharge is used to achieve a stable ignition and combustion of lean air-fuel mixtures in a long tube.The microwave discharge is burnt at the presence of initiator with the quasi-optical microwave beam
The experimental observations show that ignition and combustion of a lean air and propane mixture in a long tube is achieved at low ignition limit with fuel/air ratio lower than 0.55

Summary

Introduction

There are three main methods of organizing combustion: diffuse mixing of fuel and oxidizer, combustion of premixed mixtures and catalytic combustion [1]. A sub-critical microwave discharge is used to achieve a stable ignition and combustion of lean air-fuel mixtures in a long tube.The microwave discharge is burnt at the presence of initiator with the quasi-optical microwave beam. The resonance way of initiation of a microwave discharge is more effective compared to traditional plasma-assisted ways of ignition and stabilization of combustion.

Results

Conclusion