AIAA 2001-0328 Acoustical Excitation of Burning Fuel Droplets

This experimental study focuses on quantifying and understanding the e ects of external acoustical perturbations on condensed phase combustion pro cesses In the present con guration a burning liquid methanol droplet is suspended within an essentially one dimensional acoustic waveguide where standing waves of variable frequency and amplitude are gen erated by a loudspeaker placed at the end of the guide The droplet is maintained at a constant diam eter during combustion via continuous fuel delivery through a quartz capillary tube Focus is placed in the present experiments on excitation conditions in which the droplet is situated at either a velocity antinode pressure node where the droplet experi ences the greatest e ects of velocity perturbations or at a velocity node pressure antinode where the droplet is exposed to minimal velocity uctua tions The e ects of the amplitude and frequency of excitation the droplet position relative to pres sure velocity perturbation maxima and conditions leading to increased burning rates are identi ed