Experimental Investigation on Powdered Fuel Ramjet Combustion Performance

Abstract

To investigate the ignition and combustion performance of the powdered fuel ramjet, an experiment is conducted on a connected-pipe ramjet test system. A computer code is developed to assist the design of the experimental powdered fuel ramjet. Based on the results of the parametric studies, an experimental powdered fuel ramjet is designed. The magnesium powder is pneumatically injected with ram-air. The flux of a two-phase mixture of solid powder suspended in the carrier air is measured with a Coriolis mass flow meter. Both cold-flow evaluation of the fuel feed system and hot-fire engine tests are performed. Ignition is realized successfully with a high-temperature combustion gas and high-energy spark plug. The feasibility of self-sustaining combustion of powdered fuel is demonstrated by introducing different flame holding techniques into the combustor. The multiple start-ups of the engine are also successfully performed using the spark plug as the ignition source. Methods for optimizing the combustion characteristics of the powdered fuel ramjet are put forward.