Combustion Efficiency Analysis on a LOx-Ethanol Gas Generator at Low Mixture Ratios

摘要

In a combustion reaction where the proportion of reactants is far from stoichiometry, the hypothesis of chemical equilibrium made by most combustion software can produce very different results from those obtained experimentally. A fuel-rich gas generator for a liquid rocket engine is required to operate in such conditions, and an experimental investigation of combustion efficiency in low mixture ratios is necessary. This paper presents the test results of such a gas generator, which is being developed for the L75 engine, using liquid oxygen and ethanol as propellants. The tests are performed in different conditions of mixture ratio (ratio between oxidizer and fuel mass flow rates) and chamber pressure. Results of measured combustion efficiency and estimated gas properties are presented.