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Dependence of Pressure, Combustion and Frequency Characteristics on Valved Pulsejet Combustor Geometries

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Abstract

An experimental analysis of valved pulsejets based on the Curtis-Dyna design and the concomitant results are discussed in the current paper. By altering the combustor length, the tail pipe length and by adding a flare at the aft-end, twelve different pulsejet configurations are tested. An axially-distributed array of piezoelectric pressure sensors and ion probes reveal the pressure and combustion dynamics inside these devices. Evidence is attained to support the claim that valved Curtis-Dyna pulsejets of the tested configurations behave like a Helmholtz resonator. Each cycle of a pulsejet is composed of temporally and spatially restrained combustion events. Altering the geometry induces an amplitude modulated low frequency instability inside the pulsejet that is characterized by sinusoidally-varying peak cycle pressures. The operating frequency, peak pressures and combustion activity of the pulsejets are characterized to reveal that reliable pulsejet operation requires proper amount of coupling — defined by low time lags — between the pressure peaks and combustion events.

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Funding

This project was funded by FMV Sweden. Project no: #380248 – LB875957

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Vijay Anand, Justas Jodele, Ethan Knight & Ephraim Gutmark

  2. Swedish Defense Material Administration, SE-115 88, Stockholm, Sweden

    Erik Prisell

  3. Etteplan, Vretenvägen 10, SE-171 54, Solna, Sweden

    Owe Lyrsell

Authors
  1. Vijay Anand
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  2. Justas Jodele
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  3. Ethan Knight
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  4. Erik Prisell
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  6. Ephraim Gutmark
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Correspondence to Vijay Anand.

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Anand, V., Jodele, J., Knight, E. et al. Dependence of Pressure, Combustion and Frequency Characteristics on Valved Pulsejet Combustor Geometries. Flow Turbulence Combust 100, 829–848 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-017-9875-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-017-9875-1

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