| This research was conducted to study the feasibility of utilizing a fluidic igniter called a resonance tube to ignite a hydrogen gas jet injected into a reciprocating piston engine. Test results showed that the resonating shock wave/expansion wave cycles were easy to obtain at atmospheric conditions except when a peculiar phenomenon which we called a "saddle effect" occurred. This saddle effect was eliminated with throttling of the gas inflow to the injector. At higher pressures it was found that the axial gap between the injector nozzle and the mouth of the resonance tube, would have to be reduced to obtain well developed resonating waves in the tube. However, the higher the back pressure the more difficult it was to create the shock waves. Similar trends were observed with the reciprocating piston, i.e. when injection occurred early in the compression stroke, the tube could be placed farther away from the injector and the resonating waves were easier to produce. However, the increased turbulence of the air in the chamber further hindered the formation of the pressure waves. Heating of the resonance tube was observed qualitatively however no ignition of the gas jet was obtained under the described. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
