EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF HIGH-PRESSURE CRYOGENIC FLAMES ON THE MASCOTTE FACILITY

ABSTRACT

Combustion processes involved in cryogenic propellant LOX/H₂ systems are very complex. In order to improve understanding and modeling of such processes, a test facility, called Mascotte, was developed by ONERA in the early 1990s. A research program involving teams from universities and ONERA has run for several years on the Mascotte bench and the purpose of this article is to summarize the results of systematic research obtained at ONERA. The first part of the article briefly describes the test facility and the related low and high-pressure combustors. In the second part, findings of both qualitative and quantitative measurements using high-speed photography, shadowgraphy, backlighting, and Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering are presented and discussed for different operating conditions. Differences of flame structure in sub- and supercritical regimes are emphasized. In particular, imaging techniques show evidence of the absence of ligaments and droplets around the LOX jet at supercritical pressures. Differences of flame front behavior with pressure is also demonstrated with both shadowgraphy and CARS diagnostics.

Keywords:

• combustion
• cryogenic propellant
• hydrogen
• oxygen
• supercritical
• shadowgraphy
• high-speed imaging
• CARS
• temperature

This work was supported by CNES and Snecma Moteurs (Rocket Engine Division) in the framework of the GDR Research Program and partly by ONERA.