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On entropic and compositional sound and its sources


Type

Thesis

Change log

Authors

da Rocha Bragança Rodrigues, Jocelino Alexandre  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2438-4785

Abstract

Combustion noise is relevant to current aviation, rocket, and ground-based gas turbine engines, as it contributes to environmental noise pollution and can trigger thermoacoustic instabilities. These consequences are particularly prevalent in lean, premixed, prevaporised combustors, which are designed to reduce nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions. As a result, there is a need to better understand the mechanisms that drive sound generation in such systems.

There are two components to combustion noise: direct noise – generated by the unsteady heat release of a flame – and indirect noise – produced by the acceleration of entropic, vortical, or compositional inhomogeneities. Separation of the respective contributions has proven to be complex to achieve in real engines – for this purpose, model experiments have been developed. These are non-reacting experiments that use unsteady, synthetic perturbations to emulate the fundamental physics of combustion acoustics processes and provide clear data for comparison with theory. Indirect noise models have been theorised for compositional perturbations and experimental validation has been provided via the measurement of acoustic waves (i.e. the output), while assuming a constant compositional perturbation (i.e. the input).

This thesis follows on from such experiments by simultaneously measuring both acoustic and compositional waves in a model setup, making use of numerical, analytical, and experimental studies. It first builds upon a previous model experiment through a numerical investigation on the generation, mixing, and convection of entropic and compositional waves generated by heat addition and gas injection. The computed temperature and mass fraction fields are compared with experimental results and inform the design of a new model setup – the Canonical Wave Rig (CWR).

The CWR is then used to study direct and indirect noise under simplified, well-controlled conditions. Subsonic and sonic (choked) conditions are investigated for a convergent-divergent nozzle. Acoustic, entropic, and compositional perturbations are generated via the co-flow injection of air or methane into a low Mach number mean flow of air. Spontaneous Raman spectroscopy (1.5 kHz) is employed for the time-resolved measurement of the local concentration upstream of the nozzle.

Single pulse experiments in the infra-sound range are used to validate the derived analytical model for direct noise due to co-flow injection. The measurement of non-reverberated indirect noise is made for the first time and is contrasted with results obtained via dereverberation (i.e. removing the effect of pressure build up due to acoustic reflections). Indirect noise transfer functions are calculated using the acoustic and compositional measurements, and issues pertaining to the methods applied are highlighted. Lastly, the pulse burst injection of methane at frequencies up to 250 Hz is presented. The goal of these experiments is to provide data at more realistic frequencies and amplitudes.

Description

Date

2021-05-18

Advisors

Hochgreb, Simone

Keywords

indirect noise, direct noise, combustion noise, entropic waves, compositional waves, acoustics, gas injection, heat addition, thermoacoustics, fluid mechanics, nozzle flow, experimental measurements, computational fluid dynamics, spontaneous Raman spectroscopy

Qualification

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Awarding Institution

University of Cambridge
Sponsorship
EPSRC (1754253)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the School of Technology (Qualcomm Scholarship), and Rolls-Royce.