Influence of Unsteadiness on the Analysis of Pressure Gain Combustion Devices.

摘要

Pressure gain combustion (PGC) has been the object of scientific study for over a century due to its promise of improved thermodynamic efficiency. In many recent application concepts PGC is utilized as a component in an otherwise continuous, normally steady flow system, such as a gas turbine or ram jet engine. However, PGC is inherently unsteady. Failure to account for the effects of this periodic unsteadiness can lead to misunderstanding and errors in performance calculations. This paper seeks to provide some clarity by presenting a consistent method of thermodynamic cycle analysis for a device utilizing PGC technology. The incorporation of the unsteady PGC process into the conservation equations for a continuous flow device is presented. Most importantly, the appropriate method for computing the conservation of momentum is presented. It will be shown that proper, consistent analysis of cyclic conservation principles produces representative performance predictions.