Experimental Study on Ignition Characteristics of RP-3 Jet Fuel Using Nanosecond Pulsed Plasma Discharge

Abstract

A study on forced ignition characteristics of RP-3 jet fuel-air mixture was conducted around a constant volume combustion vessel and a nanosecond pulsed plasma discharge power supply. Experiments were carried out at different initial pressures (pu = 0.2, 0.3, 0.5 atm), equivalence ratios (ϕ = 0.7, 0.8, 1.1), steam concentrations (ZH2O = 0%, 10%, 15%) and oxygen concentrations (ZO2 = 13.5%, 16%, 21%). The relationship between ignition probability and ignition energy is investigated. The experimental results show that the decrease in pressure, equivalence ratio, oxygen concentration and the increase in steam concentration all lead to an increase in minimum ignition energy (MIE). In order to further analyze the experimental data, one existing fitting equation is reformed with the initial conditions taken into account. Multivariate fitting is carried out for different conditions, and the fitting results of ignition probability are in good agreement with the experiments. The MIE results under different experimental conditions are figured out with the new fitting equation. The impact indexes, which stand for the effects of different factors, are also calculated and compared in present work.

Keywords

• ignition probability
• minimum ignition energy (MIE)
• nanosecond pulsed plasma discharge
• RP-3 jet fuel