Part I. Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Heterogeneous Diffusion Flames. Part II. Spectroscopic Studies of Flames

Author: Fuhs, Allen Eugene

Year: 1958

Degree: Dissertation (Ph.D.)

Advisor: Penner, Stanford S.

Committee Member: Unknown, Unknown

Option: Mechanical Engineering; Physics

DOI: 10.7907/ENEM-BM84

Abstract

Three topics concerned with heterogeneous diffusion flames are considered in Part I.

Experiments have been conducted to determine the interference effects during burning for droplet arrays. The burning rate law applicable for single droplets has been found to be valid also for two-, five-, and nine-droplet arrays.

A heterogeneous diffusion flame formed between liquid sodium and gaseous titanium tetrachloride was found to deposit small particles of titanium on the combustion chamber wall. The burning rate of liquid sodium, which is related to the rate of production of titanium, was determined experimentally.

The scaling procedures developed by several authors for liquid-fuel rocket engines have been generalized. In these theoretical studies we have used the functional results derived in our investigations of droplet burning. The generalized analysis indicates that an attempt to maintain complete similarity on scaling results in contradictions. For this reason a program on selected scaling procedures is indicated.

In Part II the apparent emission profiles of a turbulent flame are described in terms of a wrinkled laminar flame model. A distribution function, which assigns a probability for the occurrence of the laminar flame at a particular position within the turbulent flame brush, determines the apparent emission profiles. The inverse problem of determining the probability function from observed emission profiles has also been solved.

It is possible to correlate the ratio of the apparent spectral intensities of two rotational lines with the equivalence ratio of a laminar flame. Assuming that this correlation applies also to other flames, we have determined the equivalence ratio in the critical zone of a reverse-jet stabilized flame in a duct. The equivalence ratio as a function of radial distance from the duct axis has also been measured. The results indicate that there appears to be a single equivalence ratio curve at blow-off, regardless of jet composition, provided the blow-off velocity is considered to be a function of critical zone equivalence ratio.

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