Fuel Proximity Effect on Hot-Jet Ignition in a Wave Rotor Constant Volume Combustor

Combustible stratification in a wave rotor constant volume combustor (WRCVC) channel can be an important aspect of achieving better fuel economy, part-load performance, complete combustion and low emissions. In a WRCVC, the distribution of fuel may leave a relatively small region of gas without fuel adjacent to the end wall that carries the ignition source. A transient one-dimensional gas-dynamic and combustion model is used to predict the filling process and the combustible mixture distribution in the combustion chambers, prior to ignition. This distribution is used in a two-dimensional fluid dynamics model to predict the mixing between combustible (cold) and injected (hot) gas for ignition. Average equivalence ratio, potential ignition locations and mixing times associated with ignition delay are predicted from the two-dimensional mixing model. These predictions are then used in the one-dimensional model for simplified combustion modeling. This combined methodology helps in improving the near-igniter combustible mixture representation, and in achieving more realistic predictions from the cost-effective onedimensional model. These predictions are compared with experimental data from a WRCVC test rig.