Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 16286

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Special Issue Editors

Research Institute of Aerospace Technology, Central South University, Changsha 410012, China
Interests: gas turbine; convective heat transfer; film cooling; transpiration cooling; scramjet; powder fuel; porous media; combustion; PIV; experimental heat transfer
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Guest Editor
School of Astronautics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: liquid rocket; scramjet; combustion; PLIF

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Guest Editor
Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Space Engineering University. Beijing 100416, China
Interests: combustion instability and spray dynamics related to gas turbine and liquid rocket engines
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Guest Editor
Science and Technology on Scramjet Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China
Interests: supersonic flow and combustion
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Propulsion systems based on chemical reaction principles are still the most widely used thrust devices for aircrafts, drawing a lot of research attention. Whether in traditional propulsion systems including aero-engines, rocket engines, ramjets and scramjets, or new developed combined power systems (such as TBCCs and RBCCs), thermal protection, flow dynamics and combustion instabilities in engine systems are still major concerns, especially for high-speed aircraft. Thermal protection has become the biggest issue for hypersonic aircraft experiencing extremely high external aerodynamic heating and internal combustion heat release. Another challenging issue is the risk of combustion instability inside some propulsion systems, which couples with an unsteady heat release process and leads to high thermal load. Research on advanced thermal structure designs, flow control and combustion is significant to ensure high efficiency and safe operation for advanced propulsion systems. 

Some optimized or novel design, analysis and simulated methods have been applied to the structural design, heat transfer and flow dynamics of propulsion systems, such as flow–heat–stress coupled analysis and multimodal coupled analysis. New measurement methods have been proposed to realize clear and accurate visualizations of flow field and combustion products, such as high-resolution PIV and burst-mode high frequency LIF. In addition, new concepts have been proposed aiming at improving the efficiency of propulsion systems, such as the application of powder fuel instead of traditional fuels and the application of supercritical fluids and nanofluids in thermal management systems. Associated with these new concepts, related technologies, such as powder fluidization and heat transfer enhancement in two-phased nanofluids, have also been developed for applications in aerospace fields.

This Special Issue is focused on bringing together innovative developments in heat transfer, structural design, combustion and flow dynamics within the applications of advanced propulsion systems, including original research and review articles.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Heat transfer enhancement
  • Turbulent combustion
  • Supersonic flow
  • Supercritical fluid heat transfer
  • Laser-based combustion diagnostics
  • Spray dynamics
  • Nanofluid heat transfer
  • Blade cooling
  • Transpiration cooling
  • Multiphase flow
  • Thermal Management
  • Regenerative cooling
  • Aerodynamics
  • Combustion instability
  • Power fuel fluidization
  • Structural design of an engine
  • Thermal stress analysis

Dr. Jian Liu
Dr. Qingfei Fu
Dr. Yiheng Tong
Dr. Chaoyang Liu
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2991 KiB  
Article
The Linear Stability of Liquid Film with Oscillatory Gas Velocity
by Xiangdong Deng, Baolu Shi, Yong Tang and Ningfei Wang
Aerospace 2023, 10(8), 691; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10080691 - 03 Aug 2023
Viewed by 843
Abstract
The present study theoretically investigated the linear instability of a liquid film sheared by gas flow under acoustic oscillations. In this work, the velocity oscillations of the gas are used to approximately characterize the acoustic oscillations, and the ratio of the conduction heat [...] Read more.
The present study theoretically investigated the linear instability of a liquid film sheared by gas flow under acoustic oscillations. In this work, the velocity oscillations of the gas are used to approximately characterize the acoustic oscillations, and the ratio of the conduction heat flux to the evaporation heat flux is used to characterize the heat and mass transfer. Considering the much stronger impact of the heat convection than the heat conduction in practical cases, a correction factor is introduced to satisfy the heat flux ratio within a reasonable range. Because of the oscillatory velocity of gas, several unstable regions, involving the KHI region and the parametric instability (PI) region, appear. The impact of the velocity oscillations on the KHI is related to the forcing frequency. Increasing the oscillatory velocity amplitude promotes the KHI when the forcing frequency is large, while the KHI is restrained with the increase in the oscillatory velocity amplitude when the forcing frequency is small. Since the viscous dissipation is enhanced when the forcing oscillations frequency increases, the PI is suppressed. In addition, when the surface tension decreases, the interfacial instability is also promoted. Increasing the gas–liquid density ratio can destabilize the surface. However, the impact of the heat and mass transfer on the interfacial instability is neglectable as the gas–liquid density ratio is large. Furthermore, the heat and mass transfer have a promoting impact on the PI and KHI, while their destabilizing effect on the indentation between unstable regions is greater. It is significant to note that the location of the maximum growth rate would be in the most unstable region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems)
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38 pages, 15612 KiB  
Article
Fundamental Study of Premixed Methane Air Combustion in Extreme Turbulent Conditions Using PIV and C-X CH PLIF
by Md. Amzad Hossain, Md Nawshad Arslan Islam, Martin De La Torre, Arturo Acosta Zamora and Ahsan Choudhuri
Aerospace 2023, 10(7), 620; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10070620 - 08 Jul 2023
Viewed by 987
Abstract
This paper presents the flow and flame characteristics of a highly turbulent reactive flow over a backward-facing step inside a windowed combustor. Flow and combustion experiments were performed at Re = 15,000 and Re = 30,000 using high-resolution 10 kHz PIV and 10 [...] Read more.
This paper presents the flow and flame characteristics of a highly turbulent reactive flow over a backward-facing step inside a windowed combustor. Flow and combustion experiments were performed at Re = 15,000 and Re = 30,000 using high-resolution 10 kHz PIV and 10 kHz PLIF diagnostic techniques. Grid turbulators (Grid) with two different hole diameters (HD of 1.5 mm and 3 mm) and blockage ratios (BR of 46%, 48%, 62%, and 63%) were considered for the turbulence study. Grids introduced different turbulent length scales (LT) in the flow, causing the small eddies and turbulence intensity to increase downstream. The backward-facing step increased the turbulence level in the recirculation zone. This helped to anchor the flame in that zone. The small HD grids (Grids 1 and 3) produced continuous fluid structures (small-scale), whereas the larger HD grids (Grids 2 and 4) produced large-scale fluid structures. Consequently, the velocity fluctuation was lower (~25.6 m/s) under small HD grids and higher (~27.7 m/s) under large HD grids. The flame study was performed at Φ = 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 using C-X CH PLIF. An Adaptive MATLAB-based flame imaging scheme has been developed for turbulent reacting flows. Grids 1 and 3 induced more wrinkles in the flame due to higher thermal instabilities, pressure fluctuation, and diffusion under those grids. The flamelet breakdown and burnout events were higher under Grids 2 and 4 due to higher thermal diffusivity and a slower diffusion rate. It was observed that the flame wrinkling and flame stretching are higher at Re = 30,000 compared to Re = 15,000. The Borghi–Peters diagram showed that the flames were within the thin reaction zone except for Grid 1 at Re = 15,000, where flames fell in the corrugated zone. It was observed from PIV and PLIF analyses that Re and LT mostly controlled the flame and flow characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems)
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20 pages, 10227 KiB  
Article
Effects of Gas Thermophysical Properties on the Full-Range Endwall Film Cooling of a Turbine Vane
by Jian Liu, Mengyao Xu and Wenxiong Xi
Aerospace 2023, 10(7), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10070592 - 28 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 870
Abstract
To protect turbine endwall from heat damage of hot exhaust gas, film cooling is the most significant method. The complex vortex structures on the endwall, such as the development of horseshoe vortices and transverse flow, affects cooling coverage on the endwall. In this [...] Read more.
To protect turbine endwall from heat damage of hot exhaust gas, film cooling is the most significant method. The complex vortex structures on the endwall, such as the development of horseshoe vortices and transverse flow, affects cooling coverage on the endwall. In this study, the effects of gas thermophysical properties on full-range endwall film cooling of a turbine vane are investigated. Three kinds of gas thermophysical properties models are considered, i.e., the constant property gas model, ideal gas model, and real gas model, with six full-range endwall film cooling holes patterns based on different distribution principles. From the results, when gas thermophysical properties are considered, the coolant coverage in the pressure side (PS)-vane junction region is improved in Pattern B, Pattern D, Pattern E, and Pattern F, which are respectively designed based on the passage middle gap, limiting streamlines, heat transfer coefficients (HTCs), and four-holes pattern. Endwall η distribution is mainly determined by relative ratio of ejecting velocity and density of the hot gas and the coolant. For the cooling holes on the endwall with an injection angle of 30°, the density ratio is more dominant in determining the coolant coverage. At the injection angle of 45°, i.e., the slot region, the ejecting velocity is more dominant in determining the coolant coverage. When the ejecting velocity Is large enough from the slot, the coolant coverage on the downstream endwall region is also improved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems)
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19 pages, 20050 KiB  
Article
Pressure Characteristics and Vortex Observation in Chiral-Symmetric Space Orthogonal Bifurcation
by Zixuan Fang, Dingwei Zhang, Xiaokang Liu, Jingxuan Li, Lijun Yang and Qingfei Fu
Aerospace 2023, 10(6), 568; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10060568 - 19 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1120
Abstract
In aerospace engine delivery systems, “one-in-two-out” bifurcation structures are commonly used for flow distribution to downstream pipelines. There are two common “one-in-two-out” bifurcation structures in aircraft engines: the planar orthogonal bifurcation and the spatial orthogonal bifurcation. By adjusting the flow supply upstream and [...] Read more.
In aerospace engine delivery systems, “one-in-two-out” bifurcation structures are commonly used for flow distribution to downstream pipelines. There are two common “one-in-two-out” bifurcation structures in aircraft engines: the planar orthogonal bifurcation and the spatial orthogonal bifurcation. By adjusting the flow supply upstream and the cross-sectional diameter downstream, the flow distribution in the two branches can be adjusted, i.e., the “splitting ratio” changes. In this paper, a dismantling and flexible experimental system is constructed to measure the pressure signals in each channel and use non-linear dynamic analysis methods to extract pressure characteristics. The particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique combined with the fine rope tracing technique is creatively used to observe the vortex structure in the cross section of the downstream branch. The study found that for spatial orthogonal bifurcation, the pressure signal characteristics in each channel are basically the same at larger splitting ratios, regardless of the chirality. As the splitting ratio decreases, the difference in pressure signal characteristics between the two branches gradually becomes evident and becomes related to the chirality. Moreover, unlike the planar orthogonal bifurcation structure, a complete large vortex structure has not been found in the downstream branch of the spatial orthogonal bifurcation structure, regardless of changes in the splitting ratio, and it is unrelated to the chirality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems)
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18 pages, 8835 KiB  
Article
Heat Transfer and Flow Structure Characteristics of Regenerative Cooling in a Rectangular Channel Using Supercritical CO2
by Jian Liu, Mengyao Xu, Pengchao Liu and Wenxiong Xi
Aerospace 2023, 10(6), 564; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10060564 - 16 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1139
Abstract
At an extremely high Mach number, the regenerative cooling of traditional kerosene cannot meet the requirement of the heat sink caused by aerodynamic heating and internal combustion in a scramjet propulsion system. As a supplement of traditional regenerative cooling, supercritical CO2 is [...] Read more.
At an extremely high Mach number, the regenerative cooling of traditional kerosene cannot meet the requirement of the heat sink caused by aerodynamic heating and internal combustion in a scramjet propulsion system. As a supplement of traditional regenerative cooling, supercritical CO2 is regarded as an effective coolant in severe heating environments due to its excellent properties of heat and mass transportation. In this paper, the heat transfer and flow structure characteristics of regenerative cooling in a rectangular channel using supercritical CO2 are analyzed numerically using a validated model. The effect of heat flux magnitude, nonuniform heat flux, acceleration and buoyancy and flow pattern are considered to reveal the regenerative cooling mechanism of supercritical CO2 in the engine condition of a scramjet. The results indicate that the heat transfer deterioration phenomenon becomes obvious in the cooling channel loaded with relatively high heat flux. Compared with the cooling channels loaded with increased heat flux distribution, the maximum temperature increased for the channel loaded with decreased heat flux distributions. When larger acceleration is applied, a relatively lower wall temperature distribution and higher heat transfer coefficients are obtained. The wall temperature distribution becomes more uniform and the high-temperature region is weakened when the coolants in adjacent channels are arranged as a reversed flow pattern. Overall, the paper provides some references for the utilization of supercritical CO2 in regenerative cooling at an extremely high Mach number in a scramjet. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems)
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22 pages, 4415 KiB  
Article
Liquid Nitrogen Flow Boiling Critical Heat Flux in Additively Manufactured Cooling Channels
by Debra Ortega, Alejandro Amador, Mohiuddin Ahmad, Ahsan Choudhuri and Md Mahamudur Rahman
Aerospace 2023, 10(6), 499; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10060499 - 25 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1317
Abstract
This paper presents an experimental characterization of liquid nitrogen (LN2) flow boiling in additively manufactured minichannels. There is a pressing need of concerted efforts from the space exploration and thermal transport communities to design high-performance rocket engine cooling channels. A close [...] Read more.
This paper presents an experimental characterization of liquid nitrogen (LN2) flow boiling in additively manufactured minichannels. There is a pressing need of concerted efforts from the space exploration and thermal transport communities to design high-performance rocket engine cooling channels. A close observation of the literature gaps warrants a systematic cryogenic flow boiling characterization of asymmetrically heated small (<3 mm) non-circular channels fabricated with advanced manufacturing technologies at mass flux > 3000 kg/m2s and pressure > 1 MPa. As such, this work presents the LN2 flow boiling results for three asymmetrically heated additively manufactured GR-Cop42 channels of 1.8 mm, 2.3 mm, and 2.5 mm hydraulic diameters. Twenty different tests have been performed at mass flux~3805–14,295 kg/m2s, pressures~1.38 and 1.59 MPa, and subcooling~0 and 5 K. A maximum departure from nucleate boiling (DNB)-type critical heat flux (CHF) of 768 kW/m2 has been achieved for the 1.8 mm channel. The experimental results show that CHF increases with increasing LN2 flow rate (337–459 kW/m2 at 25–57 cm3/s for 2.3 mm channel) and decreasing channel size (307–768 kW/m2 for 2.5–1.8 mm channel). Finally, an experimental DNB correlation has been developed with 10.68% mean absolute error. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems)
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17 pages, 2554 KiB  
Article
Performance Analysis and Design of Direct Ammonia Fuel Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for Shipborne Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
by Zhe Wang, Fan Zhao, Yue Ma, Rui Xia and Fenghui Han
Aerospace 2023, 10(5), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10050397 - 25 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1526
Abstract
Ammonia is being considered as a promising alternative to hydrogen fuel in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to its stability and ease of storage and transportation. This study investigates the feasibility of using ammonia fuel in a tubular SOFC for shipborne unmanned [...] Read more.
Ammonia is being considered as a promising alternative to hydrogen fuel in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to its stability and ease of storage and transportation. This study investigates the feasibility of using ammonia fuel in a tubular SOFC for shipborne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The paper develops a 3D model of a tubular-anode-supported SOFC single cell and conducts numerical simulations to analyze the impact of different operating conditions on SOFC performance. The study optimizes the SOFC’s performance by adjusting its working parameters and overall structure, revealing that increasing temperature and porosity enhance performance, but excessively high values can cause deterioration and instability in the cell. The study also finds that the cathode-supported (CS)-SOFC outperforms the anode-supported (AS)-SOFC, mainly due to its thicker cathode layer, providing better sealing and oxygen supply, resulting in a more uniform current density distribution. The paper provides valuable insights into the potential use of ammonia fuel for shipborne UAVs and offers a foundation for future research and development in the field of SOFCs. The results indicate that increasing the temperature and porosity of the SOFC can enhance battery performance, but excessive values can cause deterioration and instability in the cell. The study also highlights the impact of different operating conditions on SOFC performance, with a significant performance improvement observed in the range of 0.6–0.8 V. Additionally, the CS-SOFC outperforms the AS-SOFC due to its thicker cathode layer, but both have significant potential for development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems)
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22 pages, 16835 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on the Dynamic Characteristics of Gas-Centered Swirl Coaxial Injector under Varying Ambient Pressure
by Xiaoguang Zhang, Wentong Qiao, Qixiang Gao, Dingwei Zhang, Lijun Yang and Qingfei Fu
Aerospace 2023, 10(3), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10030257 - 08 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1728
Abstract
To determine the dynamic characteristics of a gas-centered swirl coaxial injector under backpressure, an experimental system of dynamic injection in a backpressure chamber was constructed. Filtered water and nitrogen were used as simulant media for rocket propellants, which are typically used with this [...] Read more.
To determine the dynamic characteristics of a gas-centered swirl coaxial injector under backpressure, an experimental system of dynamic injection in a backpressure chamber was constructed. Filtered water and nitrogen were used as simulant media for rocket propellants, which are typically used with this kind of injector. An inertial flow pulsator was manufactured to generate the pulsation of the flows that feed to the liquid injector. The electric conductance method was adopted to measure liquid film thickness. After the pulsation of incoming flow in the feedline was tested, and the operating conditions for the injector to start pulsating were validated, the effects of the chamber backpressure and the recess length of the injector on the dynamic characteristics of spray, such as liquid film thickness, breakup length, and amplitude of pulsation, have been investigated in detail. Experimental results demonstrated that the increase in chamber backpressure prompts the liquid sheet to rupture earlier with a shorter breakup length, which results from the increased density of the ambient gas. Chamber backpressure suppresses the pulsation of the outlet flow, especially for a longer recess length. Moreover, a decrease in the recess length results in a reduction in breakup length due to an intense gas–liquid shearing in a narrower recess section. For a lower backpressure, the amplitude of outlet flow generally increases when the recess length increases. However, this phenomenon is not obvious for the conditions of higher backpressure and lower pulsation frequency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems)
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12 pages, 5091 KiB  
Article
Atomization Characteristics of Gelled Fuels Containing Different Concentrations of Metal Particles
by Penghui Li, Dong Yang, Zixuan Fang, Qingfei Fu and Lijun Yang
Aerospace 2023, 10(3), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10030221 - 25 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1469
Abstract
Gelled fuels have promising applications in the aerospace field. Higher density and calorific value can be achieved with the addition of energetic metal particles to gelled fuels, which can also effectively improve the combustion efficiency of the fuel and thus enhance the engine [...] Read more.
Gelled fuels have promising applications in the aerospace field. Higher density and calorific value can be achieved with the addition of energetic metal particles to gelled fuels, which can also effectively improve the combustion efficiency of the fuel and thus enhance the engine performance. However, the addition of metal particles can also make the rheological properties of gelled fuels more complex, which introduces difficulties regarding their atomization and combustion. In order to investigate the effect of the concentration of metal particles on the rheological and atomization characteristics of gelled fuels, the gelled fuel was prepared with three metal particle concentrations of 0%, 15%, and 30%. In this paper, the rheological properties of the gelled fuel were tested by a rotational rheometer, and the atomization properties (spray cone angle, Sauter mean diameter (SMD), and droplet size distribution) of the gelled fuel were measured experimentally. In this paper, three nozzle structures were designed, including a DC nozzle, a swirl nozzle, and a self-excited oscillation nozzle. The effects of different nozzle structures and metal particle concentrations on the atomization of gelled fuels are compared and discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems)
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Review

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23 pages, 3588 KiB  
Review
Progress of Porous/Lattice Structures Applied in Thermal Management Technology of Aerospace Applications
by Jian Liu, Mengyao Xu, Rongdi Zhang, Xirui Zhang and Wenxiong Xi
Aerospace 2022, 9(12), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace9120827 - 15 Dec 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3263
Abstract
With lightweight, multifunctional, and designable characteristics, porous/lattice structures have started to be used in aerospace applications. Porous/lattice structures applied in the thermal management technology of aerospace vehicles have attracted much attention. In the past few years, many related numerical and experimental investigations on [...] Read more.
With lightweight, multifunctional, and designable characteristics, porous/lattice structures have started to be used in aerospace applications. Porous/lattice structures applied in the thermal management technology of aerospace vehicles have attracted much attention. In the past few years, many related numerical and experimental investigations on flow, heat transfer, modelling methodology, and manufacturing technology of porous/lattice structures applied in thermal management systems have been widely conducted. This paper lists the investigations and applications of porous/lattice structures applied in thermal management technology from two aspects, i.e., heat transfer enhancement by porous/lattice structures and transpiration cooling. In addition, future developments and challenges based on the previous investigations are analyzed and summarized. With the higher requirements of thermal protection for aerospace applications in the future, thermal management technology based on porous/lattice structures shows good prospects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer, Combustion and Flow Dynamics in Propulsion Systems)
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