Experimental Investigation on Flame Formation and Propagation Characteristics in an Ethylene Fuelled Wave Rotor Combustor

To find the flame formation and propagation characteristics in an ethylene fuelled wave rotor combustor (WRC), a simplified WRC test system was established. It is a single-channel multiple-cycle WRC with a rotating inlet/outlet port. Through varying the parameters such as the filling speed of the air–fuel mixture, rotating speed of the inlet/outlet port, and equivalence ratio of the combustive air–fuel mixture, the flame formation and propagation characteristics in an ethylene fuelled WRC are presented and discussed. While the rotating speed of the inlet/outlet port increases, the propagation speed of the flame also gradually increases. When the rotating speed of the inlet/outlet port is 1500 rpm, the propagation speed of the flame reaches 45 m/s. A higher rotating speed of the inlet/outlet port leads to a faster expansion of the reaction zone. Furthermore, the inclination angle and corrugation of the flame front in the channel of the WRC with a different rotating speed and different equivalence ratio are...