Review: laser ignition for aerospace propulsion

O’Briant, Steven A.; Gupta, Sidhant; Vasu, Subith

doi:10.1016/j.jppr.2016.01.004

Cited by 97 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Brief characterization of electric discharges used for PAC and flow control [67]. Small volume of interaction, low energetic efficiency of lasers [79][80][81][82] a large domain of non-self-sustained discharges and combinations of different types of electric discharges is not included. Most of those works demonstrate successful ignition; some efforts achieve close to a practical implementation [68] but not at supersonic conditions.…”

Section: Early Effortsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Working perfectly in premixed, low-speed conditions, this technique reduced its capabilities at higher flow velocities, V > 100 m/s, an example is shown in Figure 5 [56]. Small volume of interaction, low energetic efficiency of lasers [79][80][81][82] (a) (b) Figure 5. Deeply undercritical MW discharge in airflow with propane injection [56].…”

Section: Early Effortsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Electrically Driven Supersonic Combustion

Leonov

2018

Energies

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This manuscript reviews published works related to plasma assistance in supersonic combustion; focusing on mixing enhancement, ignition and flameholding. A special attention is paid for studies, which the author participated in person. The Introduction discusses general trends in plasma-assisted combustion and, specifically, work involving supersonic conditions. In Section 2, the emphasis is placed on different approaches to plasma application for fuel ignition and flame stabilization. Several schemes of plasma-based actuators for supersonic combustion have been tested for flameholding purposes at flow conditions where self-ignition of the fuel/air mixture is not realizable due to low air temperatures. Comparing schemes indicates an obvious benefit of plasma generation in-situ, in the mixing layer of air and fuel. In Section 3, the problem of mixing enhancement using a plasma-based technique is considered. The mechanisms of interaction are discussed from the viewpoint of triggering gasdynamic instabilities promoting the kinematic stretching of the fuel-air interface. Section 4 is related to the description of transitional processes and combustion instabilities observed in plasma-assisted high-speed combustion. The dynamics of ignition and flame extinction are explored. It is shown that the characteristic time for reignition can be as short as 10 ms. Two types of flame instability were described which are related to the evolution of a separation zone and thermoacoustic oscillations, with characteristic times 10 ms and 1 ms correspondingly.

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Section: Early Effortsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Early Effortsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrically Driven Supersonic Combustion

Leonov

2018

Energies

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“…This reduces the need for spark systems, but requires reliable control of the static temperatures within the inlet. Future designs are targeting laser ignition systems in an effort to burn fuel more effectively with reduced emissions [13].…”

Section: Configuration 1-mach 25 Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Ramjet Compression System for a Hypersonic Air Transportation Vehicle Combined Cycle Engine

2018

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This report assesses the performance characteristics of a ramjet compression system in the application of a hypersonic vehicle. The vehicle is required to be self-powered and perform a complete flight profile using a combination of turbojet, ramjet and scramjet propulsion systems. The ramjet has been designed to operate between Mach 2.5 to Mach 5 conditions, allowing for start-up of the scramjet engine. Multiple designs, including varying ramp configurations and turbo-ramjet combinations, were investigated to evaluate their merits and limitations. Challenges arose with attempting to maintain sufficient pressure recoveries and favourable flow characteristics into the ramjet combustor. The results provide an engine inlet design capable of propelling the vehicle between the turbojet and scramjet phase of flight, allowing for the completion of its mission profile. Compromises in the design, however, had to be made in order to allow for optimisation of other propulsion systems including the scramjet nozzle and aerodynamics of the vehicle; it was concluded that these compromises were justified as the vehicle uses the ramjet engine for a minority of the flight profile as it transitions between low supersonic to hypersonic conditions.

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“…Nanosecond laser-induced spark ignition of combustion engines is usually based on nonresonant gas breakdown [1][2][3][4][5]. The breakdown process is initiated by few free electrons in the interaction region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, most of these YDFA could not fit the standard engine constraints mainly because, without dedicated temperature regulation, the large temperature changes in the environment of the engine (T~50 K) lead to a large shift in the central wavelength of the pumping laser diodes (~15 nm for T 50 K) and, therefore, to a drastic reduction of the amplified pulse energy. Moreover, YDFA, which delivers powerful nanosecond pulses, also suffers other limitations associated with amplified stimulated emission (ASE) and nonlinear optical effects, such as four-wave mixing (FWM), and stimulated Brillouin 4 and Raman scattering (SBS and SRS) [27]. To limit these side effects, one generally cascades multiple stage amplifiers separated by dedicated filters and increases the amplification repetition rate up to 10 kHz to further filter and delay ASE and nonlinear effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compact nanosecond laser system for the ignition of aeronautic combustion engines

Amiard-Hudebine

Tison

Freysz

2016

Journal of Applied Physics

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We have studied and developed a compact nanosecond laser system dedicated to the ignition of aeronautic combustion engines. This system is based on a nanosecond microchip laser delivering 6 μJ nanosecond pulses, which are amplified in two successive stages. The first stage is based on an Ytterbium doped fiber amplifier (YDFA) working in a quasi-continuous-wave (QCW) regime. Pumped at 1 kHz repetition rate, it delivers TEM00 and linearly polarized nanosecond pulses centered at 1064 nm with energies up to 350 μJ. These results are in very good agreement with the model we specially designed for a pulsed QCW pump regime. The second amplification stage is based on a compact Nd:YAG double-pass amplifier pumped by a 400 W peak power QCW diode centered at λ = 808 nm and coupled to a 800 μm core multimode fiber. At 10 Hz repetition rate, this system amplifies the pulse delivered by the YDFA up to 11 mJ while preserving its beam profile, polarization ratio, and pulse duration. Finally, we demonstrate that this compact nanosecond system can ignite an experimental combustion chamber.

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Review: laser ignition for aerospace propulsion

Cited by 97 publications

References 65 publications

Electrically Driven Supersonic Combustion

Electrically Driven Supersonic Combustion

Ramjet Compression System for a Hypersonic Air Transportation Vehicle Combined Cycle Engine

Compact nanosecond laser system for the ignition of aeronautic combustion engines

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