Scramjet Engine Ignition by NS Aperiodic Discharge

Andrey Starikovskiy, Yiguang Ju, Michael Klassen

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Numerous attempts have been made to improve the combustion characteristics with the help of electrical discharges. In particular, ignition of the fuel in the cavity was initiated and stabilized using standard aviation spark plugs based on a sliding spark. all existing solutions for ignition systems have significant drawbacks that limit the effectiveness of their use for hypersonic systems. This is mainly due to conflicting requirements for such an ignition system. It must work stably both at moderate and at very high gas velocities; it should provide effective ignition both at low temperatures and at temperatures close to the self-ignition threshold; finally, it must have low energy consumption. The solution proposed in this paper is a high-voltage NS aperiodic discharge. The feature of the discharge is the generation of high-frequency, low-amplitude NS pulses in combination with low-frequency, high-amplitude pulses to initiate the discharge. We use the pulses of alternating polarity to increase the potential difference between the residual space charge and high-voltage electrode and to facilitate the discharge start and propagation. Because of the combined excitation with two different types of high-voltage pulses the total energy consumption for the system operation is relatively low and could be estimated as P = 5-10 kW for 1000 cm3 ignition volume for a core of a supersonic gas flow.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, 2024
PublisherAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA
ISBN (Print)9781624107115
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024
EventAIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, 2024 - Orlando, United States
Duration: Jan 8 2024Jan 12 2024

Publication series

NameAIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, 2024

Conference

ConferenceAIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, 2024
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityOrlando
Period1/8/241/12/24

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Aerospace Engineering

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