Academic literature on the topic 'Kerosene-PLIF'

Safran Helicopter Engines has recently patented the spinning combustion technology in which the burnt gases from one injector travel tangentially along the combustor annulus towards the neighboring injectors. Compared to conventional designs, the new kerosene injection systems are dedicated to improve air/fuel mixture ignition but also to further reduce NOx and soot particle emissions. Experimental studies are performed on these fuel injectors in a high-pressure/high-temperature combustion facility designed by the CORIA research laboratory. This test bench is able to reproduce the same operating conditions encountered in a helicopter combustor over the entire range of nominal operating conditions and has large optical accesses for the implementation of laser-based diagnostics. In the current paper, we present results concerning flame structure and NO formation in the primary zone under pressure conditions of up to 14 bar, using simultaneous OH-PLIF, NO-PLIF and kerosene-PLIF laser diagnostics. These experimental studies were supplemented by high-speed PIV measurements. A good spatial correlation between the distribution of liquid and vapour kerosene and the location of the flame front was observed. Depending on the operating conditions in terms of fuel/air ratio, mass flow rates and pressure, different flame structures resulting from the modification of the interaction between fuel injection and aerodynamics are observed. Furthermore, it was found that the Zeldovich pathway mainly controls the formation of NO in the vicinity of the flame front. In addition, the effects of FAR and pressure also have a significant impact on NO production. All these results are now intended to serve as a comprehensive validation database for the development and testing of high-fidelity LES tools dedicated to the simulation of reactive flows in aero-engine combustion chambers.

Structures of liquid-fuel injection in supersonic crossflow is studied experimentally. Schemes of flush-wall injector and aviation kerosene are selected. The conditions of the supersonic freestream are kept constant (total pressure is 0.5MPa, total temperature is 500K and Mach number is 2) and the diameter of the injector is fixed as 0.5mm, while seven scenarios of injection angle and three scenarios of injection driven pressure are discussed. Both methods of schlieren and planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) techniques are implemented to obtain the visual images of the liquid-fuel injection. The penetration height of fuel is analyzed quantitatively with the aid of Photoshop and Origin. The results serve not only the future computational simulation but also combined scheme of flush-wall injector and other combustor configurations.

Abstract This paper investigates the temperature fields in a centrally staged swirl spray combustor using two-line OH planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) thermometry at elevated inlet pressures and temperatures up to 0.62 MPa and 650 K. The pilot and main stages of the combustor were supplied with RP-3 kerosene. OH radicals were excited using the Q1(5) and Q1(14) transitions within the A2Σ←X2Π (1,0) band. Two laser excitation systems were operated simultaneously, where the two beams were spatially combined and separated by a small interval in time. The PLIF signals excited at the two wavelengths were captured by two identical sets of imaging system. The calibration coefficient needed for quantitative conversion from fluorescence ratio to temperature was determined based on results from independent coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) measurements. A joint threshold mask was developed to remove the noise and weak signals in the raw PLIF images. The high temperature zones in the temperature field were then obtained, and the pilot and main stage flames were identified. In addition, the radial position of the pilot flame showed marked variations at a nominally fixed condition. By extracting the radial profiles, a consistency between the peaks of PLIF intensity and temperature was found, suggesting that PLIF images could be a qualitative substitute for the high temperature zones in the temperature fields of these swirl spray flames. This study demonstrates the feasibility of temperature field measurements using two-line OH PLIF in aero-engine model combustors.

In the context of global warming and the increasing demands for the application of sustainable fuels, measurements of a variety of experimental targets under a wide range of conditions are crucial to improving the fundamental understanding of real jet fuels and developing quality kinetic mechanisms for large hydrocarbons. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) is an effective approach to investigate concentrations of important species of a given flame while quantifying the fluorescence image remains a great challenge with significant uncertainties. This investigation aims to improve the fundamental understanding of the oxidation of kerosene-based mixtures at two equivalence ratio conditions. Two gas fuels are utilized as the reference for the quantitative studies. For each flame condition, relative OH and NO quantities and temperature profiles were measured by applying the PLIF and coated fine wire type R Pt/Pt-Rh thermocouples, respectively. The converted OH and NO results were subsequently compared with the simulation by using ANSYS Chemkin Pro, and the results indicate that reliable temperature profiles are the key to accurately quantify the species concentration of a given flame.

Abstract Lean staged combustion can reduce the NOx emissions by prevaporizing and premixing fuel with air, which is considered the state-of-the-art solution strategy in achieving low emission in aeronautical combustors. However, lean premixed combustion is subjected to combustion stability problems, which restrict the ground and altitude operation limits of the commercial engine. In this work, the effect of the swirl intensity of pilot inner swirler on combustion stability of a lean staged injector is experimentally and numerically studied. The lean staged injector is piloted by a dual swirler prefilm atomizer. The swirl intensity of the pilot inner swirler is varied by parameterizing the vane angle as +20 deg, −20 deg, and −35 deg, with −20 deg selected as the baseline with a counterswirling design. A single sector model combustor is designed, and the nonreacting flow field and fuel concentration distributions are measured by particle image velocimetry (PIV) and kerosene planar laser induced fluorescence (kerosene-PLIF) techniques. The alteration of swirl direction from counterswirling to coswirling induces a negligible effect on flow structures, but the spray distribution changes from a solid pattern to a hollow pattern. The increase in the pilot inner swirl intensity causes a shrunk cyclone recirculation zone (CRZ) and a reduction of kerosene concentration in the central region. The influences of the pilot inner swirler angle on combustion stability are evaluated. The ignition and lean blow-out (LBO) results show that the baseline injector exhibits excellent combustion stability, while the coswirling design holds the highest ignition and LBO fuel–air ratio (FAR). In order to find out the physical mechanisms dominating the ignition and LBO processes, nonreacting numerical simulations are conducted to provide information regarding the flow structures and kerosene concentrations at ignition limits. Moreover, the ignition sequences are redefined as the radial flame propagation phase, the axial flame propagation phase, and the flame stabilization phase. The comparison of kerosene concentration along the radial and axial propagation routes concludes that the fuel enrichment in the two processes improves the ignition performance. On the other hand, the Karlovitz number of flame anchoring points in the flame rooting region is calculated to evaluate the flame stabilization characteristics. The results indicate that promoting the number of flame anchoring points and their radial range benefits the LBO performance.

Les effets anthropogéniques sur l’environnement posent un défi majeur pour l’industrie aéronautique. Des réglementations de plus en plus strictes et la nécessité de rendre le transport aérien durable orientent les recherches actuelles vers des systèmes propulsifs innovants. Dans ce contexte, Safran Helicopter Engines développe sa technologie brevetée de combustion giratoire (SCT), visant à améliorer les performances des moteurs d’hélicoptères. Déjà implémentée sur le moteur Arrano, cette technologie est davantage optimisée pour réduire significativement les émissions de NOx et de suies. Dans le cadre du programme européen LOOPS, deux nouveaux systèmes d’injection de carburant sont étudiés : l’un conçu pour un régime riche dans une chambre RQL, et l’autre pour une combustion pauvre. Cette thèse évalue expérimentalement ces systèmes à l’aide de diagnostics laser avancés, adaptés aux environnements réactifs à haute pression. Le banc HERON, développé au CORIA, permet d’analyser leurs performances de combustion et évaluer les émissions dans des conditions représentatives des moteurs d’hélicoptères : pressions de 8 à 14 bar, températures d’entrée d’air de 570 à 750 K, et richesses de 0,6 à 1,67. Des diagrammes de stabilité de flamme sont établis, suivis d’analyses des propriétés du spray liquide par PDPA (Phase Doppler Particle Anemometry). Les champs aérodynamiques sont mesurés en conditions réactive et non-réactive par PIV (Particle Imaging Velocimetry) ultra-rapide à 10 kHz. La structure des flammes est caractérisée par PLIF-OH, tandis que la PLIF-kérosène permet d’étudier l’évaporation du carburant en détectant les mono- et di- aromatiques. Les diagnostics couplés simultanément PLIF-NO, PLIF-OH et PLIF-kérosène corrèlent les structures des flammes, les distributions des phases liquide et vapeur, et les zones de formation de NO. De même manière, la PLII (Planar Laser-Induced Incandescence) couplé avec PLIF-OH, PLIF-kérosène permets d’analyser les mécanismes de formation et d’oxydation des suies. Des méthodes spécifiques déterminent des distributions 2D des concentrations de NO, OH et des fractions volumiques de suies. Les résultats montrent une flamme asymétrique pour l’injecteur riche, avec une efficacité de combustion élevé dans la partie supérieure grâce à une injection liquide augmenté localement. Malgré des richesses élevées, les niveaux de suies restent modérés, tandis que le NO se forme principalement près de la flamme, confirmant le mécanisme thermique de Zeldovich. L’injecteur en régime pauvre présente une structure de flamme typique des flammes swirlées stratifiées, malgré la légère asymétrique. Une meilleure évaporation du carburant y favorise une combustion plus efficace, réduisant la longueur de flamme et les NO, grâce à des températures de flamme plus basses. Cependant, des niveaux modérés de suies sont également observés malgré le régime pauvre. Les conditions opératoires influencent fortement les performances. À haute pression, l’atomisation du spray est accélérée, l’angle d’expansion du spray augmente, et les zones de recirculation interne sont renforcées, modifiant la structure des flammes. L’augmentation des émissions de suies par la haute pression est observée pour l’injecteur en régime riche, gardant une richesse constante sur l’ensemble des conditions testées, tandis que les niveaux de NO restent stables. Pour l’injecteur en régime pauvre, les conditions réactives avec une richesse minimale à haute pression atténuent les effets de la pression, stabilisant la production de suies tout en réduisant les concentrations de NO. Ces résultats mettent en évidence le potentiel des deux systèmes d’injection pour optimiser les performances tout en réduisant les émissions des futurs moteurs d’hélicoptères
Anthropogenic effects on the environment present a major challenge for the aeronautical industry. Increasingly stringent pollution regulations and the necessity for sustainable air transport are driving the nowadays research toward innovative propulsion systems. In this context, Safran Helicopter Engines is advancing its patented Spinning Combustion Technology (SCT), aimed at improving helicopter engine performance. Already implemented in the Arrano engine, SCT is now being refined to significantly reduce NOx and soot emissions. As part of the European LOOPS program, two novel fuel injection systems are under investigation: one operating in a rich combustion regime tailored for an RQL combustion chamber and the other designed for lean combustion. The scientific activity of this thesis focuses on the experimental characterization of these injection systems using state-of-the-art laser diagnostics optimized for high-pressure reactive environments. The HERON combustion facility at CORIA enables the analysis of combustion and pollutant performance under conditions representative of helicopter engines, with pressures from 8 to 14 bar, air inlet temperatures from 570 to 750 K, and equivalence ratios ranging from 0.6 to 1.67. Initial flame stability maps are established, followed by in-depth analyses of liquid spray properties using Phase Doppler Particle Anemometry (PDPA). High-speed Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) captures aerodynamic fields under reactive and non-reactive conditions at 10 kHz. Flame structures are examined via OH-PLIF fluorescence imaging, while kerosene-PLIF evaluates liquid and vapor fuel distributions, particularly probing aromatic components in Jet A-1 kerosene. Furthermore, NO-PLIF imaging, combined with OH-PLIF and kerosene-PLIF, enables spatial correlations between flame structure, fuel distribution, and NO production zones. Soot formation and oxidation mechanisms are explored through Planar Laser-Induced Incandescence Imaging (PLII), integrated with OH-PLIF and kerosene-PLIF. Specific methods are developed to obtain 2D distributions of quantitative concentrations of NO, OH and soot volume fraction. Results reveal that the rich-burn injector produces an asymmetrical flame with enhanced upper-zone combustion efficiency due to locally intensified liquid fuel injection. Moderate soot levels are observed despite high equivalence ratios, while localized NO production, primarily near the flame, is attributed to the Zeldovich thermal mechanism. Conversely, the lean-burn injector forms a flame structure characteristic of stratified swirl flames, despite the minor asymmetry. Improved fuel evaporation leads to higher combustion efficiency, shorter flame lengths, and a reduction in NO formation, attributed to lower flame temperatures. In spite of the lean combustion conditions, moderate soot levels are measured for the second injector. Operating conditions strongly influence performance. Higher pressures accelerate spray atomization, increase spray expansion angles, and strengthen internal recirculation zones, reshaping flame structures. The increase in soot production at higher pressure is particularly demonstrated by the rich-burn injector due to constant equivalence ratios across all test conditions, while NO levels remain stable. For the lean-burn injector, leaner operation at elevated pressures moderates pressure effects, maintaining consistent soot levels and reducing NO concentrations. These findings highlight the potential of both injection systems for optimizing performance and reducing emissions in future helicopter engines

Abstract In the context of air pollution, Safran Helicopter Engines patented an innovative design for helicopter combustors based on Spinning Combustion Technology. The development focuses on novel concepts of kerosene fuel injectors aiming to further reduce NOx and soot particle emissions. Experimental studies are performed on the fuel injectors in a high-pressure/high-temperature combustion facility designed by the CORIA laboratory. This test bench is able to reproduce the same conditions encountered in a helicopter combustor over the entire range of nominal operating conditions and has large optical accesses for the implementation of optical diagnostics. NOx and soot particles are assessed during three experimental studies, two of which focus on each pollutant individually and a third one specially dedicated for high-speed velocity measurements by PIV. Soot particles distribution, flame structure and fuel distribution were obtained by coupling the PLIF-OH, PLIF-kerosene and PLII diagnostics. On the other hand, the PLIF-NO combined with PLIF-OH and PLIF-kerosene allows to study the formation of NO with the combustion process and the fuel distribution.

Abstract A Lean Premixed injection system (LP) was experimentally investigated at elevated pressure and air inlet temperature, corresponding to engine conditions, i.e. with high swirl number and elevated fresh gases velocities. OH-PLIF, NO-PLIF and kerosene-PLIF laser diagnostics were used to study the flame structure and the NO formation within the primary zone. These experimental studies were complemented with PIV measurements. The acquired data allows the evaluation of the coupling of aerodynamics with the flame structure. Starting from there, the combustion process governing the formation of NO pollutant into the flame was analyzed with high spatial resolution. The Zeldovich pathway has been found to control the NO formation in the inner recirculation zone while the nitrous oxide pathway is found to be important especially in the regions in which the residence time of burnt gases is small. Effect of pressure and FAR also produced significant changes in the NO production. It does appear, however that no universal behavior can be found for the pressure dependence of NO.

Abstract This paper investigates the temperature fields in a centrally staged swirl spray combustor using two-line OH planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) thermometry at elevated inlet pressures and temperatures up to 0.62 MPa and 650 K. The pilot and main stages of the combustor were supplied with RP-3 kerosene. OH radicals were excited using the Q1(5) and Q1(14) transitions within the A2Σ←X2Π (1, 0) band. Two laser excitation systems were operated simultaneously, where the two beams were spatially combined and separated by a small interval in time. The PLIF signals excited at the two wavelengths were captured by two identical sets of imaging system. The calibration coefficient needed for quantitative conversion from fluorescence ratio to temperature was determined based on results from independent coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) measurements. To enhance the quality of instantaneous temperature fields, a joint threshold mask was developed to remove the noise and weak signals in the raw PLIF images. The high temperature zones in the temperature field were then obtained. In both instantaneous and mean temperature fields, the pilot and main stage flames were identified. In addition, the radial position of the pilot flame showed marked variations at a nominally fixed condition. By extracting the radial profiles, a consistency between the peaks of PLIF intensity and temperature was found, suggesting that PLIF images could be a qualitative substitute for the high temperature zones in the temperature fields of these complex swirl spray flames. This study demonstrates the feasibility of temperature field measurements using two-line OH PLIF in aero-engine model combustors.

Abstract Primary energy sources for aviation gas turbines as well as direct-injection gasoline and diesel engines come in the form of liquid hydrocarbon fuels. These liquid fuels are atomized and mixed with air, prior to highly turbulent combustion and heat release processes inside engine hardware. Designing more efficient and cleaner gas turbine engines is hence dependent on the in-depth understanding of spray formation, mixing, heat release, combustion dynamics, and pollutant formation pathways in liquid-fuel spray flames. As compared to gaseous fuels, the additional steps of atomization, dispersion, and evaporation prior to turbulent mixing need to be considered for a variety of liquid fuels to enable fuel-flexible operation of these combustion hardware. Such studies can be largely facilitated by advanced laser diagnostics applied to simplified piloted liquid-spray flame configurations that can also be numerically modeled using well-defined boundary conditions. In this work, a modified configuration of a fuel-flexible piloted liquid-spray flame apparatus is used for detailed laser diagnostics studies using hydroxyl (OH) planar imaging. The configuration consists of a modified McKenna flat-flame burner fitted with a direct-injection high-efficiency nebulizer. OH radical is a primary marker of the reaction zone and a key indicator of the heat release process in flames. OH is abundant in the high-temperature combustion regions providing high signal-to-noise ratio single-laser-shot images revealing flame dynamics and instabilities. Therefore, OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) is employed to characterize the dynamic structures of a range of piloted liquid-spray flames operated with methanol (CH3OH), n-Heptane (C7H16), iso-Octane (C8H18), dodecane (C12H26), gasoline (C4–C12), diesel (C12–C20), and kerosene (C6–C16). Single-shot and averaged OH-PLIF images show the presence of strong turbulence in the core region above the surface of the McKenna burner. The reaction zone mainly occurs around the periphery of this region, then it spreads more uniformly due to evaporation of liquid droplets downstream of the spray flame. Two-color OH PLIF thermometry in liquid spray flames operated with gasoline, diesel and kerosene, has been shown that the combustion temperature is in the range of 1200–2000 K. Overall, OH PLIF has been demonstrated to be an efficient approach for dynamic structures and temperature measurements in piloted liquid-spray flames operated with realistic fuels.

A Lean-Premixed (LP) aero-engine injection system was experimentally studied using optically-based measurements. Experiments were conducted under relevant operating conditions up to 1.38 MPa and using commercial kerosene as fuel. First of all, the structure of the reaction zone and the flame length into the combustion chamber have been studied with CH* chemiluminescence. It is observed from the data measurements that combustion can produce two types of flames, a V-shaped flame in which combustion is stabilized a few mm downstream from the injector and a tulip flame in which combustion is developing inside the injection system. The flame is found to be shorter and more confined when increasing the pressure. To complement this study, experiments were also performed using the OH-PLIF measurement technique. Data processing of the absorption of OH fluorescence signals along the laser propagation allowed the determination of the absolute distribution of OH concentration without any calibration of the OH fluorescence signals. The obtained values are in agreement with estimated premixed adiabatic chemical equilibrium results. Furthermore, the flame front location and its structure were captured from gradient-based filtering operations on OH-PLIF signals. Finally, pollutant emissions were also measured with an exhaust gas sampling probe positioned downstream from the combustor outlet. It has been found that NOx emission increases with Fuel Air Ratio (FAR) and pressure whereas CO exhibits an inverse trend.

A staged injector developed by JAXA and fueled with kerosene is studied in a high-pressure combustion experiment. With a stable pilot fuel flow rate, the fuel flow rate in the main stage is progressively increased. A high-speed OH-PLIF system is used to record the flame motion at 10,000 fps. In the beginning of the recording, POD modes shows that the flame behavior is dominated by relatively low-frequency rotation due to the swirling motion of the flow. These rotational motions then coexist with a thermo-acoustic instability around 475 Hz which increases the amplitude of the pressure fluctuations inside the chamber. DMD analyses indicate that this instability is associated with a widening of the flame occurring when the pressure fluctuations are the highest, giving the instability a positive feedback. The instability frequency then abruptly switches to 500 Hz while retaining the same driving mechanisms. Potential candidates for this frequency change are proposed.

Abstract The jet of kerosene into high-temperature and high-speed air crossflow was studied experimentally, to study the characteristics of penetration and evaporation in afterburner. A fuel injection bar with a 0.6 mm diameter plain orifice was used in the experiment. The angle between jet and air flow was 90°. The tests were conducted at atmospheric pressure. The air temperature was between 400 °C to 800 °C, and the air velocity increased from 100 m/s to 250 m/s, which was close to the working condition of the afterburner. The jet flow rate also increased from 5 kg/h to 40 kg/h. Fuel-PLIF was used to visualize the trajectory and structure of the jet trajectory. It was observed that the core region of the jet (the largest volume flow) was close to the windward side, and the leeward side of the jet had a relatively wide peripheral area due to the shear of the high-speed airflow. The jet trajectory is affected by viscosity force, inertia force and surface tension in different proportion under high-temperature and high-speed airflow. The jet penetration is related to the momentum ratio (q), air flow Weber number (We0), and aerodynamic Weber number (Wea). In experiment, q ranged from 2 to 236, We0 ranged from 72 to 735, and Wea ranged from 0.36–41. The relationship between penetration to these variables was established. The plume width and evaporation distance under different test conditions were compared. The results show that the plume width varied within a narrow range in high-temperature and high-speed air crossflow, and the fuel evaporation distance was much more affected by the fuel flow than the airflow condition, basically in a linear correlation with fuel flow. The results are of great significance to the size design and arrangement of the stabilizers in afterburners.

Abstract Characteristics of the main stage exert important effects on the performances in a centrally staged LPP combustor. The experiments on flow fields, spray, and combustion were carried out on the combustors with different axial velocity at the main stage exit (Vm). The NOx emissions, combustion efficiency and lean blowout are all tested in a rectangular model combustor under elevated temperature and pressure conditions, while flow field and spray characteristics are measured in an optical combustor by Kerosene-PLIF and PIV under non-reacting elevated temperature and pressure conditions. The results show that with the Vm of the main stage changing from 61 m/s to 80 m/s, the NOx emission and combustion efficiency decreases. Meanwhile, lean-blow out (LBO) performance becomes worse. CFD simulation is conducted to investigate the flow fields, spray, emissions and LBO performance of the combustor. The simulation results show the turbulent intensity between the pilot and main stage flows is stronger for the combustor with higher Vm. Besides, the recirculating flow in the recirculation zone also has an increasing trend. The two reasons cause the temperature in the combustion zone decrease, which is beneficial to the NOx reduction. In addition, the stronger turbulence intensity between the main and pilot stage make the quenching of pilot flame more severe, causing the combustion efficiency lower. Moreover, the increase of the inverse flow also worsens the LBO performance.