Study of electrostatic modulation of fuel sprays to enhance combustion performance in an aviation gas turbine.

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Authors
Manning, Walter William
Subjects
electrohydrodynamic spraying
electrostatic atomization
gas turbine combustor
combustion
combustion research
electrical spray modification
jet engine fuels
Advisors
Biblarz, Oscar
Date of Issue
1987-06
Date
June 1987
Publisher
Language
en_US
Abstract
The influence of electrostatic and electrohydrodynamic charging on hydrocarbon fuel spray patterns and droplet atomization has been investigated. Research was performed in a combustion environment with an Allison T-56 combustor liner and an unmodified pressure- jet atomizer fuel nozzle. High-voltage probes and a variable-geometry probe insertion device were developed to assess the effectiveness of probe type and location on fuel spray modification and modulation. Exhaust gas temperatures and temperature profiles were measured to determine changes in the combustor ' s thermal profile and combustion efficiency. JP-4, JET-A and Number-2 Diesel fuels were tested to analyze electrically-assisted atomization effectiveness relative to off-design fuel performance. Net temperature increases were recorded for all fuels, yielding combustion efficiency improvements of 1.18, 1.10 and 0.68 percent for DF-2, JET-A and JP-4 respectively. Observations indicate electrical charging effectiveness, in terms of thermal power output per unit of electrical power input, increases in the order of JP-4, JETA and DF-2, suggesting a direct correlation with the surface tension of the fuels.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Aeronautics
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
103 p.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.
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