Combustion of Kerosene in a Supersonic Airstream
Thermal Efficiency of Selected Injection
Configurations
M. Owens* and C. Segal*
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Mechanics, and Engineering Science
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611
Abstract
Kerosene was injected in a supersonic airflow at
Mach 1.8 and T0 = 1000 K and ignited with a gaseous
hydrogen-pilot flame. These airflow conditions
correspond to a Mach 4.75 flight enthalpy which is
representative of the low end of the hypersonic flight
regime. This study evaluated the combustion efficiency
for selected kerosene injection configurations including:
a) a generic, rearward-facing step, b) a modified
rearward-facing step with beveled edges to facilitate
vortex enhanced mixing, and c) a rearward-facing wedge
(15° or 30°) placed downstream of the rearward-facing
step to separate the hydrogen-pilot flame from the
injected liquid kerosene and to serve as an additional
flameholder for the liquid kerosene. In all
configurations, the gaseous hydrogen-pilot jet was
injected parallel to the main flow from the base of the
rearward-facing step and the liquid kerosene was
injected normal to the main flow at 3 and 5 step heights
downstream of the step (the step height, H, was 10 mm).
Hydrogen-pilot equivalence ratios ranged from 0.02 to
0.04 while the liquid kerosene equivalence ratio was held
at 0.325 for all cases. Included in this study were the
effects of kerosene heating at levels below that required
for flash vaporization, an expected condition during cold
starts. Here, only 1/3 of the energy required for flash
vaporization was supplied to the fuel resulting in a
stagnation temperature for the liquid kerosene of 420 K.
Results indicated that locally rich stratified kerosene
combustion was taking place in a layer close to the
injection wall. Increased hydrogen-pilot equivalence
ratios consumed more of the available oxygen, resulting
in a richer flame and reducing the kerosene combustion
efficiency. The wedge flameholder contributed to an
increased kerosene combustion efficiency by raising the
' Graduate Research Assistant, Student Member AIAA
f
Assistant Professor, Member AIAA
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American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
1
kerosene residence time hi the recirculation region
formed behind the step. The beveled-edge step improved
far field mixing thereby reducing the local kerosene
equivalence ratio, resulting hi the highest kerosene
combustion efficiency among all configurations tested.
Nomenclature
§ Equivalence ratio
r| Combustion Efficiency
H Step height, 10mm
T Temperature
P Pressure
Subscripts
0 Stagnation properties
S Static properties
H Hydrogen properties
K Kerosene properties
Introduction
The need to increase the energy/volume of
hydrogen fueled vehicles for hypersonic flight has long
been recognized1'2. Liquid hydrocarbons are attractive
candidates for the low end of the hypersonic flight
regime due to then" higher volumetric energy content and
the relative simplicity of operational logistics1'3.
However, liquid hydrocarbons require substantial
residence time to attain high combustion efficiencies due
to then- relatively slower chemical kinetics. Many studies
(for example Ref. 4) have shown that the supersonic
combustion process may be mixing limited, in general,
although a strong interaction with combustion exists, hi
particular when the Damkohler is O(l)5. The fuel jet
orientation to the main flow (i.e. parallel, oblique, or
normal) has a significant effect on the jet penetration and
the mixing efficiency. Planar Mie scattering images by
Ref. 6 of oblique and normal jets in a Mach 2 flow
indicated that the normal jet resulted in the best near
field penetration due to its increased component of
momentum in the normal direction. Results from Ref. 6