Mixing and reaction processes in rocket based combined cycle and conventional rocket engines

Raman spectroscopy was used to make species measurements in two rocket engines. An airbreathing rocket, the rocket based combined cycle (RBCC) engine, and a conventional rocket were investigated. A supersonic rocket plume mixing with subsonic coflowing air characterizes the ejector mode of the RBCC engine. The mixing length required for the air and plume to become homogenous is a critical dimension. For the conventional rocket experiments, a gaseous oxygen/gaseous hydrogen single-element shear coaxial injector was used. Three chamber Mach number conditions, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, were chosen to assess the effect of Mach number on mixing. The flow within the chamber was entirely subsonic.; For the RBCC experiments, vertical Raman line measurements were made at multiple axial locations downstream from the rocket nozzle plane. Species profiles assessed the mixing progress between the supersonic plume and subsonic air. For the conventional rocket, Raman line measurements were made downstream from the injector face. The goal was to evaluate the effect of increased chamber Mach number on injector mixing/reaction. For both engines, quantitative and qualitative information was collected for computational fluid dynamics (CFD development.; The RBCC experiments were conducted for three distinct geometries. The primary flow path was a diffuse and afterburner design with a direct-connect air supply. A sea-level static (SLS) version and a thermally choked variant were also tested. The experimental results show that mixing length increases with additional coflow air in the DAB geometry. Operation of variable rocket mixture ratios at identical air flow rates did not significantly affect the mixing length. The thermally choked variant had a longer mixing length compared to the DAB geometry, and the SLS modification had a shorter mixing length due to a reduced air flow.; The conventional rocket studies focused on the effect of chamber Mach number on primary injector mixing. Chamber Mach number was set at 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, and Raman species measurements were made at three axial locations within the chamber. The experimental results clearly showed an increase in mixing with increased chamber Mach number. Data are presented in radial mole fraction profiles and mixture fraction pdf plots for a quantitative assessment of the mixing. Radial dimension plots in time-averaged form are provided for comparison with previous experimental work at a very low chamber Mach number.