Dynamics of mono-size aerosolized liquid fuel detonations

Abstract

Detonation-based propulsion has been an area of interest in the scientific community in terms of detonative combustion providing higher efficiency. However, most detonation research has focused on gaseous products though liquid fuel propellants are of interest for propulsion applications due to their high energy density. This research explores the use of an aerosolized liquid fuel as the combustion reactant. Jet-A is aerosolized into 5 μm droplets to fill the experimental facility, which has been pre-filled with oxidizer, and ignited. The reaction travels through a series of perforated plates that induce turbulence into the flow, and the ensuing detonation is imaged through the test section windows. Evidence of the Jet-A detonation is captured though high-speed shadowgraph, CH* chemiluminescence, and Mie scattering. Pressure measurements were also taken along the test section. This paper explores the dynamics of an aerosolized Jet-A driven detonation and discusses the droplet burning behavior. Several varying amounts of nitrogen dilution and both a stoichiometric and rich equivalence ratio was tested at each dilution level, giving insights into how these affect the detonation characteristics.