Plasma and Photoionization Approaches for Combustion Initiation

The Phase I research conducted jointly by Research Support Instruments (RSI) and the Applied Physics Group of Princeton University has yielded results that could lead to a paradigm shift in combustion research being conducted on engines for both supersonic and hypersonic flight. Research to date has yielded laminar flame speed increases of 65%, and the physical models developed indicate that it may be possible to double or even triple the flame speed using a refinement of our techniques. In our testing, microwave energy is absorbed into the thin flame region and does not lead to breakdown elsewhere. The logical progression of this research would be to extend this technique such that a microwave resonator is incorporated into the design of a high-speed combustor. In order to build upon the results of Phase I research and to successfully develop a novel method of combustion control and enhancement, the following items will be addressed in the proposed Phase II program:  mechanisms of flame speed increase in subcritical microwave field  energy efficiency of the proposed approach  application of the process to turbulent and/or non-premixed flames  development of basic design for testing the new method at AFRL (WPAFB) facilities