Advanced droplet sizing of an aeronautic kerosene Jet A-1 spray injected at high-altitude relight conditions

Abstract

One of the main requirements for the safety and certification of an aircraft is its ability to relight under high-altitude conditions, i.e., sub-atmospheric and extremely cold environment. In the combustor, the fuel is introduced in liquid form and atomized into droplets, generating a spray that facilitates evaporation and combustion. Therefore, understanding and mastering the atomization process in a gas turbine combustor is a significant challenge for engine manufacturers. Knowledge of the droplet size and its spatial distribution in the chamber is primordial. According to the literature, spray characteristics have never been reported under high-altitude relight conditions. Therefore, for the first time, this study presents an experimental investigation of droplet sizing of a low-temperature kerosene Jet A-1 spray (233 K) injected from a pressure-swirl atomizer into a chamber at sub-atmospheric pressure (0.3 bar). The 1p-SLIPI LIF/Mie ratio technique is successfully employed and provides a reliable tool for studying spray behavior under various operating conditions