Effects of Combustion Chamber Blockage on Bluff Body Flame Stabilization

Author: Foster, James Roger

Year: 1956

Degree: Engineer's thesis

Advisor: Zukoski, Edward E.

Committee Member: Unknown, Unknown

Option: Aeronautics

DOI: 10.7907/T553-DA28

Abstract

The necessity for stabilizing a flame in a high speed flow of combustible gas has led to extensive studies of the mechanism of flame stabilization by bluff bodies. As a result of these studies it has been found that the stability limits depend directly on a characteristic wake length and that under certain conditions this characteristic dimension depends on the square root of the flame holder scale.

In the present investigation the geometry of the flame in the stabilization region is examined by means of photographic and probing techniques. The results of the studies show conclusively that for a constant blockage ratio, the wake geometry scales linearly with flame holder size. The observed square root dependence of the characteristic wake length, and hence of the blowoff velocity is shown to be directly caused by blockage effects.

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