Propagating Structure Of A Microwave Driven Shock wave Inside A Tube

Journal Article · Thu May 06 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3435453· OSTI ID:21367304

Shimada, Yutaka; Shibata, Teppei; Yamaguchi, Toshikazu; Komurasaki, Kimiya ^[1]; Oda, Yasuhisa; Kajiwara, Ken; Takahashi, Koji; Kasugai, Atsushi; Sakamoto, Keishi ^[2]; Arakawa, Yoshihiro ^[3]

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1. Department of Advanced Energy, the University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwa-no-ha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561 (Japan)
2. Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 801-1 Mukoyama, Naka, Ibaraki, 311-0193 (Japan)
3. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 (Japan)

The thrust generation process of a microwave rocket is similar to a pulse detonation engine, and understanding the interactions between microwave plasma and shock waves is important. Shadowgraph images of the microwave plasma generated in a tube under atmospheric air were taken. The observed plasma and shock wave were propagating one-dimensionally at constant velocity inside the tube. In order to understand the flow field inside the rocket, one-dimensional CFD analysis was conducted. With the change of microwave power density, the structure of the flow field was classified into two regimes: Microwave Supported Combustion (MSC), and Microwave Supported Detonation (MSD). The structure of the MSD was different from the structure of a chemical detonation, which implied the existence of a preheating in front of the shock wave. Furthermore, the flight performance was estimated by calculating the momentum coupling coefficient. It was confirmed that the efficiency was nearly constant in the MSD regime, with the increase of microwave power density.

• OSTI ID: 21367304
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1230, Issue 1; Conference: 6. international symposium on beamed energy propulsion, Scottsdale, AZ (United States), 1-5 Nov 2009; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3435453; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COMBUSTION
COUPLING
EFFICIENCY
HEAT TREATMENTS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
PERFORMANCE
PLASMA
PLASMA HEATING
POWER DENSITY
PROPULSION
PROPULSION SYSTEMS
PULSES
ROCKETS
SHOCK WAVES
TUBES
VELOCITY
WAVE PROPAGATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
HEATING
OXIDATION
RADIATIONS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES