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Schlieren and OH* chemiluminescence imaging of combustion in a turbulent boundary layer over a solid fuel

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Abstract

Combustion in a turbulent boundary layer over a solid fuel is studied using simultaneous schlieren and OH* chemiluminescence imaging. The flow configuration is representative of a hybrid rocket motor combustor. Six different hydrocarbon fuels, including both classical hybrid rocket fuels and a high regression rate fuel (paraffin wax), are burned in an undiluted oxygen free-stream at pressures ranging from atmospheric to 1524.2 kPa (221.1 psi). A detailed explanation of methods for registering the schlieren and OH* chemiluminescence images to one another is presented, and additionally, details of the routines used to extract flow features of interest (like the boundary layer height and flame location) are provided. At atmospheric pressure, the boundary layer location is consistent between all fuels; however, the flame location varies for each fuel. The flame zone appears to be smoothly distributed over the fuel surface at atmospheric pressure. At elevated pressures and correspondingly increased Dahmköhler number (but at constant Reynolds number), flame morphology is markedly different, exhibiting large rollers in a shear layer above the fuel grain and finer structures in the flame. The chemiluminescence intensity is found to be roughly proportional to the fuel burn rate at both atmospheric and elevated chamber pressures.

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Notes

  1. The term hot-fire refers to a test with combustion, as compared to a cold-flow where oxygen flows through the combustion chamber without ignition.

  2. This projection angle is calculated from the mean horizontal distortion of the OH* grid images.

  3. MATLAB does not allow the use of two distinct colormaps to be used in a single figure.

Abbreviations

\(\Delta m_{f}\) :

Mass of fuel burned (kg)

\(\delta\) :

Boundary layer thickness (m)

\(\Delta h_{b}\) :

Total change in fuel height (m)

\(\dot{m}_{f}\) :

Fuel burn rate (kg/s)

\(\dot{r}\) :

Regression rate (m/s)

\(\dot{\omega }\) :

Mass-based reaction rate (kg/m\(^{3}\) s)

\(\rho _{f}\) :

Fuel density (kg/m\(^{3}\))

\(\tau _\mathrm{chem}\) :

Characteristic chemical reaction time (s)

\(\tau _\mathrm{fluid}\) :

Characteristic fluid mixing time (s)

A :

Frequency factor for the reaction

a, b :

Reaction orders

\(A_{b}\) :

Surface burning area (m\(^{2}\))

Da :

Damköhler number

\(E_{a}\) :

Activation energy (J/mol)

\(G_{ox}\) :

Oxidizer mass flux (kg/m\(^{2}\) s)

I :

Intensity (a.u.)

k :

Gladstone–Dale coefficient

\(M_{f}\) :

Molar mass of fuel (kg/mol)

\(M_{o}\) :

Molar mass of oxidizer (kg/mol)

n :

Refractive index

\(R^{2}\) :

Coefficient of determination

\(R_{u}\) :

Universal gas constant (J/mol K)

T :

Temperature (K)

\(t_{b}\) :

Burn time (s)

\(U_{\infty }\) :

Free-stream velocity (m/s)

\(Y_{f}\) :

Mass fraction of fuel

\(Y_{o}\) :

Mass fraction of oxidizer

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Strategic University Research Partnership program and the Stanford Center of Excellence in Aeronautics and Astronautics for financial support of this project. E. Jens also acknowledges the support of Zonta International in the form of the Amelia Earhart Fellowship. The authors thank Greg Zilliac, Dr. Rabi Mehta and James Heineck of NASA Ames Research Center for loaning the MotionPro X3 Plus for this work, and Dr. Campbell Carter of the Air Force Research Laboratory for loaning the Photron APX i\(^{2}\).

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  1. 496 Lomita Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Elizabeth T. Jens, Victor A. Miller & Brian J. Cantwell

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  1. Elizabeth T. Jens
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Correspondence to Elizabeth T. Jens.

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Jens, E.T., Miller, V.A. & Cantwell, B.J. Schlieren and OH* chemiluminescence imaging of combustion in a turbulent boundary layer over a solid fuel. Exp Fluids 57, 39 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-016-2124-x

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