Experimental Investigation on the Combustion and Emission Characteristics of Near-/Supercritical Kerosene in Aero-Engine Combustion Chambers

Abstract To support the development of the future high performance aero-engine technology, the combustion and emission characteristics of the near/supercritical kerosene is investigated in this study based on a single-cup combustor rig. Stable combustion of supercritical kerosene has been achieved in the combustor. The effects of operating parameters on the combustion performance and emission characteristics have been systematically investigated, such as fuel-to-air ratio, kerosene injection temperature, inlet air temperature, etc. The experimental results demonstrate that: (1) In the investigated fuel-to-air ratio (FAR) range, the optimal combustion and emission performance of the supercritical kerosene is achieved at FAR = 0.046. Specifically, the outlet temperature distribution factor (OTDF), emission index of CO (EICO), emission index of UHC (EIUHC), and emission index of NOx (EINOx) decreases by 14.61%, 60.0%, 29.49%, and 33.76%, respectively. While the combustion efficiency increases by 0.59%. (2) With the increase of the kerosene injection temperature, compared with the ambient-temperature conditions, the OTDF, EICO, and EIUHC of supercritical kerosene decreases by 34.06%, 79.16%, and 54.30% respectively. While the EINOx and combustion efficiency increases by 59.02% and 1.76%, respectively. (3) With the increase of the combustor inlet temperature (T3), the OTDF, EICO, and EIUHC progressively decrease in the near/supercritical regions, while the combustion efficiency and EINOx gradually increase.