Date of Award

6-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Optical Science and Engineering

Department

Department of Engineering Physics

First Advisor

Kevin C. Gross, PhD.

Abstract

Within the domain of chemical propulsion, the fields of combustion diagnostics and computational fluid dynamics each have a long history, and both have led to a better understanding of complex phenomena yielding practical improvements in propulsion systems. As more exotic forms of propulsion are developed, the importance of both diagnostic and simulation capabilities also increase. In the case of scramjet combustion, these challenges primarily arise from the highly turbulent environment in the combustion cavity, and the high-speed, compressible nature of the flowfield. Efforts are underway to develop computer models of scramjet combustion environments to better understand the evolution of the flow field and heat transfer to the walls during combustion. This thesis effort experimentally supports these goals. Specifically, hyperspectral imaging measurements of an optically accessible scramjet were collected for different fueling rates. The primary focus was characterization the magnitude and dynamics of the outer window temperature in its response to combustion of different fueling rate. The window represents an important and dynamic boundary condition, and these hyperspectral measurements could be used to validate numerical simulations. Other work in this thesis effort explores qualitative differences in flowfield turbulence under different fueling conditions, and in principle this turbulence characterization could also be used to for comparisons with numerical simulations.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-ENP-MS-18-J-011

DTIC Accession Number

AD1056655

Comments

Organizations associated with this thesis:

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
  • Center for Technical Intelligence Studies and Research (CTISR), AFIT

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