A Statistical Investigation of Ignition in a Fuel Spray Using a Shock Tube

Abstract

In order to determine the general aspect of the spontaneous ignition in a fuel spray injected in compressed air at high temperature, which takes place usually in diesel and pulse jet engines, an experimental method using a shock tube is developed. A shock wave driven by high-pressure He gas propagates in the air in the low-pressure tube and reflects at a shock tube end. Through application of the pressure of the shock wave at reflection, n-octane fuel is injected into the air behind reflected shock waves in the shock tube. The fuel injection space is optically separated into 5 regions in the vertical direction, and the induction period of spontaneous ignition in each region is separately observed. As the induction period fluctuates markedly, the measured results are treated statistically and analyzed on the basis of the stochastic ignition theory.