<p dir="ltr">The Boeing-AFOSR Mach-6 Quiet Tunnel (BAM6QT) was used for a set of experiments aiming to characterize the stability regimes of stagnation point injection in noisy and quiet flow across an array of different injected gases. Four gases were used in this experiment: air, helium, carbon dioxide, and argon. These gases were injected at varying thrust coefficients, ranging from 0.0516 to 0.5666, using a 7 degree half-angle cone with a 19 mm radius spherical nose and a single 1.93 mm-radius sonic jet in the center of the model. The primary data collected consists of schlieren images gathered at a sample rate of 76 kHz. These data were then analyzed using a shock tracking software to measure the physical locations of flow features as well as through spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD) to analyze specific modes in the flow.</p><p dir="ltr">Through this analysis, it was observed that three principle modes exist in stagnation point injection regardless of the injecting gas: a high frequency vortex-coupled mode, a low frequency Mach-shock-rigid mode, and a hybrid mode residing between these two modes. The first two modes were observed in all stability regimes, whereas the hybrid mode was only observed in the bifurcated regime. Furthermore, the unsteady regime was observed to be mostly characterized by this first, vortex-coupled mode. Conversely, the steady regime was observed to be driven by the Mach-shock-rigid mode instead. This transition was measured to occur as the thrust coefficient was increased.</p><p dir="ltr">This research also found that freestream noise resulted in an amplified and widened frequency range within the Mach-shock-rigid mode. This same freestream noise did not appear to have an impact on the other two principle modes; however, in some cases the noise produced in the Mach-shock-rigid mode due to this freestream noise did in fact mask the other principle modes.</p><p dir="ltr">Lastly, it was observed that the thrust coefficient, in and of itself, is not the sole indicator of stability in stagnation point injection. Across the different injected gases in this research, transition between the stability regimes did not in fact occur at a constant thrust coefficient value. Additionally, even within the same injected gas, this transition did not occur at the same thrust coefficient value between noisy and quiet runs—indicating an effect of freestream noise on stability.</p>

<p>The first force and moment measurements were conducted in the BAM6QT. Three 7-degree half-angle sharp cones were tested, one with base radius of 4.5 in. and two with base radius of 3.5 in. made out of different materials. Models were tested at 0 and 2 degrees angle of attack. Models were tested over a range of burst pressures and Reynolds numbers. Models were fitted onto a strain gauge, 6 component, internal, moment balance. Multiple assemblies were tested that mounted the balance in the BAM6QT. High-speed schlieren video was used to monitor flow conditions and track the movement of the tunnel and model. Three entries were performed in the BAM6QT. The improvement in data quality with each new entry is shown and the startup and running loads from entry 3 are analyzed.</p> <p>Startup loads were measured and are of importance in determining the load range needed to operate in the BAM6QT. Large startup loads up to 40X the running load were identified. Tunnel movement was measured and was used to approximate the inertial loading during startup and the run. The inertial loading was not found to be the cause of the large startup loads. Schlieren video was used to qualitatively review the startup flow. It was found the large startup loads in axial force were plausibly from the high-pressure subsonic flow evacuating the nozzle. For normal force and pitching moment, the startup loads peak at a different time than axial force and appear to be from a shock-shock interaction nearby the model. Trends in startup load with changing model geometry, AoA, and burst pressure were put together to form an empirical estimation for startup loads sharp cones. </p> <p>Running loads were profiled and found to be trending with burst pressure and model geometry similarly to Newtonian flow theory predictions. However, due to the lack of a base pressure measurement, the results are uncorrected for sting effects and differ from Newtonian flow theory by a scalar. A 5.3 Hz oscillation in axial force was identified. The frequency of the oscillation is the same as the frequency of the quasi-steady flow periods caused by the reflection of the expansion fan in the driver tube. Normal force during the running load was found to be measuring positive loads when at 0 degrees angle of attack. Both the axial and normal force phenomena were unexpected and were investigated but both require further research. </p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p>

<p>There is growing interest in the use of nanosecond surface dielectric barrier discharge (ns-SDBD) actuators for high-speed (supersonic/hypersonic) flow control. A plasma discharge is created using a nanosecond-duration pulse of several kilovolts, and leads to a rapid heat release and a complex three-dimensional flow field. Past work has been limited to qualitative visualizations such as schlieren imaging, and detailed measurements of the induced flow are required to develop a mechanistic model of the actuator performance. </p><p><br></p><p></p><p>Background-Oriented Schlieren (BOS) is a quantitative variant of schlieren imaging and measures density gradients in a flow field by tracking the apparent distortion of a target dot pattern. The distortion is estimated by cross-correlation, and the density gradients can be integrated spatially to obtain the density field. Owing to the simple setup and ease of use, BOS has been applied widely, and is becoming the preferred density measurement technique. However, there are several unaddressed limitations with potential for improvement, especially for application to complex flow fields such as those induced by plasma actuators. </p><p></p><p>This thesis presents a series of developments aimed at improving the various aspects of the BOS measurement chain to provide an overall improvement in the accuracy, precision, spatial resolution and dynamic range. A brief summary of the contributions are: </p><p>1) a synthetic image generation methodology to perform error and uncertainty analysis for PIV/BOS experiments, </p><p>2) an uncertainty quantification methodology to report local, instantaneous, a-posteriori uncertainty bounds on the density field, by propagating displacement uncertainties through the measurement chain,</p><p>3) an improved displacement uncertainty estimation method using a meta-uncertainty framework whereby uncertainties estimated by different methods are combined based on the sensitivities to image perturbations, </p><p>4) the development of a Weighted Least Squares-based density integration methodology to reduce the sensitivity of the density estimation procedure to measurement noise.</p><p>5) a tracking-based processing algorithm to improve the accuracy, precision and spatial resolution of the measurements, </p><p>6) a theoretical model of the measurement process to demonstrate the effect of density gradients on the position uncertainty, and an uncertainty quantification methodology for tracking-based BOS,</p><p>Then the improvements to BOS are applied to perform a detailed characterization of the flow induced by a filamentary surface plasma discharge to develop a reduced-order model for the length and time scales of the induced flow. The measurements show that the induced flow consists of a hot gas kernel filled with vorticity in a vortex ring that expands and cools over time. A reduced-order model is developed to describe the induced flow and applying the model to the experimental data reveals that the vortex ring's properties govern the time scale associated with the kernel dynamics. The model predictions for the actuator-induced flow length and time scales can guide the choice of filament spacing and pulse frequencies for practical multi-pulse ns-SDBD configurations.</p>

Sootblowing is a process in which supersonic steam jets are used to periodically blast deposits off heat transfer tubes in kraft recovery boilers. However, sootblowing significantly consumes the valuable high pressure steam generated by the boiler, hence it should be optimized. A recovery boiler consists of three convective sections - superheater, generating bank and economizer. The tube arrangement in these sections, particularly the tube spacing is different from each other. Moreover, tubes in an economizer are finned. A sootblower jet will interact differently with these tube arrangements, potentially affecting its strength, and hence deposit removal capability. The objective of this work was to characterize jet/tube interaction in the three sections of a recovery boiler. Lab-scale experiments were conducted in which these interactions were visualized using the schlieren technique coupled with high-speed video, and were quantified by pitot pressure measurements. This work is the first to visualize the interactions. The offset between the jet and tube centrelines, the nozzle exit diameter relative to the tube diameter, and the distance between the nozzle and tube were varied to examine their effects on jet/tube interaction. Results showed that due to the very low spreading rate of a supersonic jet, a jet (primary jet) stops interacting with a superheater platen when the jet is only a small distance away from it. When the jet impinges on a tube, the jet deflects at an angle, giving rise to a weaker ‘secondary’ jet. Due to the large inter-platen spacing, a secondary jet has an insignificant impact in a superheater. In a generating bank, the primary jet weakens between the closely spaced tubes due to increased mixing. However, a secondary jet impinges on the adjacent tubes exerting a high impact pressure on those tubes. The primary jet also weakens between finned economizer tubes, but remains stronger for a greater distance than in a generating bank. As in the case inside a generating bank, a secondary jet also impinges on adjacent rows of tubes in an economizer. The results imply that in a superheater, a sootblower jet must be directed close to the platens to yield useful jet/deposit interactions, and to avoid wasting steam by blowing between the platens. In a generating bank, deposits beyond the first few tubes of a row experience a weaker sootblower jet, and thus may not be removed effectively. However, secondary jets may contribute to removing deposits from the first few adjacent tubes. They may also induce erosion-corrosion of those tubes. Secondary jets may also help remove deposits from adjacent rows in a finned tube economizer. In an economizer, the strength and hence, the deposit removal capability of a sootblower jet diminish only slightly beyond the supersonic portion of the jet. A mathematical model was also developed to determine the feasibility of using inclined sootblower nozzles in recovery boiler superheaters, and suggests that it may be possible to clean superheater platens more effectively with slightly inclined nozzles.

Sootblowing is a process in which supersonic steam jets are used to periodically blast deposits off heat transfer tubes in kraft recovery boilers. However, sootblowing significantly consumes the valuable high pressure steam generated by the boiler, hence it should be optimized. A recovery boiler consists of three convective sections - superheater, generating bank and economizer. The tube arrangement in these sections, particularly the tube spacing is different from each other. Moreover, tubes in an economizer are finned. A sootblower jet will interact differently with these tube arrangements, potentially affecting its strength, and hence deposit removal capability. The objective of this work was to characterize jet/tube interaction in the three sections of a recovery boiler. Lab-scale experiments were conducted in which these interactions were visualized using the schlieren technique coupled with high-speed video, and were quantified by pitot pressure measurements. This work is the first to visualize the interactions. The offset between the jet and tube centrelines, the nozzle exit diameter relative to the tube diameter, and the distance between the nozzle and tube were varied to examine their effects on jet/tube interaction. Results showed that due to the very low spreading rate of a supersonic jet, a jet (primary jet) stops interacting with a superheater platen when the jet is only a small distance away from it. When the jet impinges on a tube, the jet deflects at an angle, giving rise to a weaker ‘secondary’ jet. Due to the large inter-platen spacing, a secondary jet has an insignificant impact in a superheater. In a generating bank, the primary jet weakens between the closely spaced tubes due to increased mixing. However, a secondary jet impinges on the adjacent tubes exerting a high impact pressure on those tubes. The primary jet also weakens between finned economizer tubes, but remains stronger for a greater distance than in a generating bank. As in the case inside a generating bank, a secondary jet also impinges on adjacent rows of tubes in an economizer. The results imply that in a superheater, a sootblower jet must be directed close to the platens to yield useful jet/deposit interactions, and to avoid wasting steam by blowing between the platens. In a generating bank, deposits beyond the first few tubes of a row experience a weaker sootblower jet, and thus may not be removed effectively. However, secondary jets may contribute to removing deposits from the first few adjacent tubes. They may also induce erosion-corrosion of those tubes. Secondary jets may also help remove deposits from adjacent rows in a finned tube economizer. In an economizer, the strength and hence, the deposit removal capability of a sootblower jet diminish only slightly beyond the supersonic portion of the jet. A mathematical model was also developed to determine the feasibility of using inclined sootblower nozzles in recovery boiler superheaters, and suggests that it may be possible to clean superheater platens more effectively with slightly inclined nozzles.

L'objectif de la thèse consiste en l'étude expérimentale du rôle de la température sur le rayonnement acoustique des jets supersoniques.<br />Dans une première étude, on analyse de façon globale les effets de la température sur le bruit de cinq jets ayant des vitesses de jet parfaitement détendu identiques pour des températures différentes (niveau de puissance acoustique global, directivité et analyse spectrale). On examine ainsi les contributions acoustiques des diverses sources sonores en fonction de la température du jet. L'influence de celle-ci sur l'efficacité de la technique d'injection d'eau comme moyen de réduction sonore est par ailleurs étudiée sur ces jets.<br />On s'intéresse ensuite aux valeurs de températures moyennes et fluctuantes locales dans ce type de jets. Pour cela, on développe la méthode optique Schlieren basée sur des mesures de déviations angulaires de faisceaux lumineux à travers l'écoulement et permettant la mesure d'indices de réfraction. La température est obtenue à partir de l'inversion d'une équation intégrale type Abel, de la relation de Gladstone et de la relation d'état des gaz parfaits. Les températures quadratiques sont quant à elles estimées à l'aide de calculs statistiques sur les déviations angulaires mesurées. Cette méthode est dans un premier temps validée sur un écoulement subsonique pour lequel les mesures issues de la méthode optique sont comparées à celles obtenues avec un thermocouple. La méthode Schlieren est finalement appliquée sur les cinq jets dont les conditions sont proches de celles présentes sur les lanceurs spatiaux. Dans le cas du jet parfaitement détendu, les résultats ainsi obtenus sont comparés à des calculs numériques.

[ES] En los últimos años, la evolución de las tecnologías de inyección ha permitido no solo mejorar el proceso de mezcla, sino también controlar con precisión los parámetros de inyección, agregando flexibilidad a los sistemas para nuevas estrategias y un grado adicional de complejidad para los investigadores. Más aún, las estrategias de inyecciones múltiples han demostrado ser capaces de reducir el consumo de combustible, así como también la emisión de partículas, los óxidos de carbono, los óxidos de nitrógeno, el hollín y los hidrocarburos no quemados, convirtiéndose en un estándar en la industria. Esta tesis presenta una metodología experimental para estudiar los efectos de dos estrategias diferentes de inyección múltiple (piloto-principal y principal-post) sobre el desarrollo fundamental y la combustión del chorro. Primero, se caracterizó hidráulicamente el inyector midiendo su tasa de inyección y flujo de cantidad de movimiento. Para una masa inyectada objetivo, se obtuvo la distribución de combustible para los diferentes tiempos de separación y las cantidades de piloto/post. Se implementó un nuevo enfoque para evaluar la distribución de combustible utilizando la señal de flujo de cantidad de movimiento. Se pudo observar que las inyecciones de piloto/post que se realizan en un estado totalmente transitorio presentan mayor desviación entre disparos. El aumento de la cantidad inyectada redujo la dispersión, con un ligero descenso al disminuir también la presión del rail. La repetibilidad de las inyecciones post se vio afectada significativamente por el tiempo de separación entre pulsos. Luego, se aplicaron diagnósticos ópticos de alta velocidad para visualizar el desarrollo del chorro en atmósferas tanto inerte como reactiva. Se utilizaron dos nuevas soluciones de procesado de imágenes: una para desacoplar dos eventos de inyección que coexisten en un solo cuadro, y otra para estimar el tiempo de retraso al autoencendido de múltiples inyecciónes. En cuanto al desarrollo del chorro en condiciones inertes, no se observó ninguna influencia en la longitud líquida estabilizada y el ángulo del chorro, respecto a la cantidad inyectada por la piloto, ni de su separación al pulso principal. Con respecto a la fase vapor, el aumento de la masa inyectada del primer pulso empujó la zona de transición más allá del límite óptico. En general, el segundo pulso penetró a una mayor velocidad, comparado con el caso de una inyección única. El ángulo de dispersión de la fase de vapor aumentó con la inclusión de la inyección piloto, pero no se observó una tendencia clara con respecto a la cantidad de la piloto ni a su tiempo de separación. En cuanto al desarrollo del chorro en condiciones reactivas, el tiempo de retraso al autoencendido del segundo pulso disminuyó en referencia a su inicio de inyección. En promedio, las estrategias piloto-principal vieron reducciones del 30% al 40%, mientras que las principal-post del 40% al 50%. Con respecto a la longitud de despegue estabilizada, no se observó una tendencia definida con respecto a los efectos tanto del tiempo de separación como de la cantidad de la piloto. La imagen promedio tomada por la cámara intensificada no consideró que la longitud de despegue puede cambiar desde el inicio de la combustión hasta el establecimiento de la llama de difusión. En general se observó que las estrategias piloto-principal producen más hollín que cada uno de sus casos de referencia. Se observó una ligera disminución en el grosor óptico de la sección transversal cerca del inicio de la combustión al aumentar la masa de la piloto. No se observó una clara dependencia del hollín con respecto al tiempo de separación entre pulsos. En contraste a la literatura, las estrategias principal-post mostraron una formación de hollín ligeramente más alta (o similar) que una sola inyección. En cámaras de combustión con un volumen tan grande, la post / [CAT] En els últims anys, l'evolució de les tecnologies d'injecció ha permés no només millorar el procés de mescla, sinó també controlar amb precisió els paràmetres d'injecció, afegint flexibilitat als sistemes per a noves estratègies i un grau addicional de complexitat per als investigadors. A més a més, amb les estratègies d'injeccions múltiples s'ha demostrat la possibilitat de reduir el consum de combustible, així com les partícules, els òxids de carboni, els òxids de nitrogen, el sutge i els hidrocarburs no cremats; a més, aquestes estratègies s'han convertit en un estàndard en la indústria. Aquesta tesi estudia els efectes de dues estratègies diferents d'injecció múltiple (pilot-principal i principal-post) sobre el desenvolupament fonamental i la combustió del doll. Primer, es caracteritzar hidràulicament l'injector, mesurant la seua taxa d'injecció i flux de quantitat de moviment. Per a una massa injectada objectiu, es va obtindre la distribució de combustible per als diferents temps de separació i les quantitats de pilot/post. Es va implementar un nou enfocament per tal d'avaluar la distribució de combustible utilitzant el senyal de flux de quantitat de moviment. Es va poder observar que les injeccions de pilot/post injecció que es realitzen en un estat totalment transitori presenten major desviació entre trets. L'augment de la quantitat injectada va reduir la dispersió, observant un lleuger descens en disminuir també la pressió de rail. La repetitivitat de les injeccions post es va veure afectada significativament pel temps de separació entre polsos. Després, es van aplicar diagnòstics òptics d'alta velocitat per a visual-itzar el desenvolupament del doll en atmosferes tant inerts com reactives. Es van utilitzar dues noves solucions de processament d'imatges: una, per a desacoblar dos esdeveniments d'injecció que coexisteixen en un sol quadre, i una altra per a estimar òpticament el retard a l'encesa amb múltiples polsos d'injecció. Pel que fa al desenvolupament del doll en condicions inerts evaporatives, no es va observar cap influència en la longitud líquida estabilitzada i l'angle del doll respecte a la quantitat injectada per la pilot, ni de la seua separació al pols principal. Pel que fa a la fase de vapor, l'augment de la massa injectada del primer pols va empényer la zona de transició més enllà del límit òptic. En general, el segon pols va penetrar a una velocitat més gran comparat amb el cas d'una injecció única. L'angle de dispersió de la fase de vapor va augmentar amb la inclusió de la injecció pilot, però no es va observar una tendència clara pel que fa a la quantitat de la pilot ni al seu temps de separació. En condicions reactives, el retard d'encesa del segon pols va disminuir en referència a l'inici de la injecció. De mitjana, les estratègies pilot-principal van experimentar reduccions del 30% al 40%, mentre que les principal-post, es van veure reduides entre el 40% i el 50%. Pel que fa a la longitud d'enlairament estabilitzada, no es va observar una tendència definida pel que fa als efectes tant del temps de separació com de la quantitat de la injecció pilot. La imatge mitjana presa per la càmera intensificada no va considerar que la longitud d'enlairament puga canviar des de l'inici de la combustió fins a la flama de difusió establerta. Pel que fa als mesuraments de sutge, en general es va observar que les estratègies pilot-principal van produir més sutge que cadascun dels seus casos de referència. Es va observar una lleugera disminució en el gruix òptic de la secció transversal prop de l'inici de la combustió en augmentar la massa de la injecció pilot. No es va observar una clara dependència del sutge amb el temps de separació entre els pols. En contrast amb la literatura, les estratègies principal-post van mostrar una formació de sutge lleugerament més alta (o similar) que una sola injecció. En cambres amb un volum tan / [EN] In recent years, the evolution of the injection technologies has permitted not only to improve the spray mixing process but to control injection parameters accurately, adding flexibility to the systems for new strategies and an extra degree of complexity for researchers. In such sense, multiple injection strategies have proved capable of reducing fuel consumption, as well as emissions of particulate matter, carbon oxides, nitrogen oxides, soot, and unburned hydrocarbons, and has become a standard in the industry. This thesis provides an experimental methodology to study the effects of two different multiple injection strategies (pilot-main and main-post) on spray development and combustion. Experiments were divided into four separate measurement campaigns carried out in three facilities. In the first two campaigns, the injector was hydraulically characterized by rate of injection and spray momentum flux measurements. For a target injected mass, the fuel allocation was obtained for the different dwell times and pilot/post quantities. A new approach to evaluate the fuel distribution using the momentum flux signal was implemented. Higher shot-to-shot deviations were observed for the pilot/post pulses that are injected in an entirely transitory state. The dispersion decreased with increasing injected quantity, and also slightly with decreasing rail pressure. The repeatability of the post injections was significantly affected by the dwell time. Then, high-speed optical diagnostics were applied to visualize the spray development in both inert and reactive atmospheres. Two novel image processing solutions were developed: one to decoupled two injection events that coexist in a single frame, and another to optically estimate the ignition delay of multiple injection pulses. On the spray development in non-reactive conditions, no influence was observed from the injected quantity of the pilot and its dwell time to the main pulse on the stabilized liquid length and spreading angle. Regarding the vapor phase, increasing the injected mass of the first pulse pushed the interaction zone past the optical limit. In general, the second pulse penetrated at a faster rate than the single injection case. Vapor phase spreading angle increased with the inclusion of a pilot injection. No clear trend was observed with either the pilot quantity nor the dwell time. On the spray development in reactive conditions, for all test points that included multiple injections, the ignition delay of the second pulse decreased referenced to its start of injection. On average, pilot-main strategies showed reductions of 30% to 40%, while main-post of 40% to 50%. Different inter-action mechanism found in the literature were used to describe the synergy between injection pulses. Regarding the stabilized lift-off length, no definite trend was observed in terms of the effects of both the dwell time and pilot quantity. The average image taken by the ICCD camera did not consider that the lift-off length can change from the inception of combustion to the established diffusion flame. Regarding soot measurements, it was generally observed that pilot-main strategies produced more soot than each of their reference case. A slight decrease in the cross-sectional optical thickness near the start of combustion was noted increasing the pilot quantity. No clear dependence of soot on the dwell time was observed. In contrast to the literature, main-post strategies depicted slightly higher (or similar) soot formation than a single injection. In combustion chambers with such large volume, the post injection behaved like a main and the actual main like a pilot. Thus, local conditions enhance the formation of soot from the post injection, instead of promoting its oxidation. Therefore, jet-wall interactions are critical for the effectiveness of the post injection on reducing soot emissions. / Viera Sotillo, AA. (2019). Effect of multiple injection strategies on the Diesel spray formation and combustion using optical diagnostics [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/123954 / TESIS

<p>Hypersonic flow conditions, such as temperature, pressure, and flow velocity, are challenging to measure on account of the extreme conditions experienced by a craft moving above Mach 5. At Mach 5, the temperature in stratospheric air behind a normal shock wave exceeds temperatures of 1,300 K, and as the craft speed increases, so does the temperature. At these temperatures and conditions, traditional measurement techniques such as thermocouples and pressure transducers either alter the flow path, affecting the measurement, or they do not survive the external conditions. As such, there is interest in investigating alternative ways to measure flow properties. This thesis focuses on the implementation of several optical measurement techniques designed to determine the flow temperature, density gradient, and flow velocity in a detonation driven shock tube. A detonation driven shock tube was chosen for the project as it reliably creates high-speed, low-density, gas flows that are reminiscent of hypersonic conditions. </p><p>The first optical measurement technique implemented was background oriented schlieren, a measurement technique that quantitatively provides density gradient data. Experimental data obtained at pressures up to 3,000 psia resulted in density gradients at the exit of the detonation tube in good agreement with the literature.</p><p>The detonation tube was also fitted with two fiber optic ports to gather chemiluminescence thermometry data. Both a Stellarnet Black-Comet spectrometer and a Sydor Ross 2000 streak camera were used to capture spectroscopic data at these ports, in order to determine the detonation speed and the rotational temperature of the intermediate OH* combustion products. The Stellarnet spectrometer did not have a fast enough data capture rate to gather reliable data. While the streak camera captured data quickly, we had difficulty gathering enough light from the combustion event and the gathered data was very noisy. The streak camera did however capture the time duration of the full combustion event, so if the fiber connector ports are improved this data taking method could be used in the future to gather rotational temperature data. Both measurement techniques provided some unintrusive measurements of high-speed flows, and improvements to the data taking system could provide much needed information on hypersonic flow conditions. </p>

<p>The aerodynamics of insect flight is not well understood despite it has been extensively investigated with various techniques and methods. Its complexities mainly have two folds: complex flow behavior and intricate wing morphology. The complex flow behavior in insect flight are resulted from flow unsteadiness and three-dimensional effects. However, most of the experimental studies on insect flight were performed with 2D flow measurement techniques whereas the 3D flow measurement techniques are still under developing. Even with the most advanced 3D flow measurement techniques, it is still impossible to measure the flow field closed to the wings and body. On the other hand, the intricate wing morphology complicates the experimental studies with mechanical flapping wings and make mechanical models difficult to mimic the flapping wing motion of insects. Therefore, to understand the authentic flow phenomena and associated aerodynamics of insect flight, it is inevitable to study the actual flying insects. </p> <p>In this thesis, a recently introduced technique of schlieren photography is first tested on free jet of match rockets with a physics based optical flow method to explore its potential of flow quantification of unsteady flow. Then the schlieren photography and optical flow method are adapted to tethered and feely flying houseflies to investigate the complex wake flow and structures. In the end, a particle tracking velocimetry system: Shake the Box system, is utilized to resolve the complex wake flow on a tethered house fly and to acquire some preliminary 3D flow field data</p>

Pour répondre aux défis environnementaux actuels, des solutions en rupture par rapport aux turbomachines existantes sont actuellement encours de développement. Elles s’appuient sur des cycles thermodynamiques plus efficients.L’objectif de ces travaux de thèse est d’étudier expérimentalement les mécanismes de transition de régime de combustion pour ce type d'applications en utilisant un surrogate de kérosène, le n-décane. Pour cela, une déflagration est initiée dans une enceinte fermée et comprime les gaz frais. La pression et la température de ces derniers augmentent jusqu’à atteindre les conditions propices à l’apparition de l’autoinflammation.3 régimes de combustion successifs sont caractérisés dans la chambre de combustion au moyen de diagnostics optiques rapides. Un premier dégagement de chaleur associé à la flamme froide pré-oxyde les gaz frais, il est suivi du dégagement de chaleur principal (Main Heat Release,MHR). Pour les températures initiales de mélange les plus élevées, une détonation est observée à la fin du processus. Deux chemins de transition différents sont mis en évidence : la transition Déflagration-Auto-inflammation (DAIT) et la transition Déflagration-Auto-inflammation-Détonation (DAIDT). La sensibilité des transitions de régime aux conditions initiales de pression, de température et de richesse a été caractérisée au moyen de plusieurs études paramétriques. Dans ce but, les conditions de température, de pression et de composition du mélange sont calculées aux instants d’apparition des différents fronts réactifs (flamme froide, MHR et détonation). Il a notamment été observé que les dégagements de chaleur successifs de l’auto-inflammation se déroulaient aux mêmes températures (740 K pour la flamme froide et 1050 K pour le MHR)quelles que soient les conditions initiales. L’étude s’est concentrée ensuite sur l’analyse d’un point de fonctionnement particulier. L’étude de ce point de fonctionnement, différents vitesses de front d’auto-inflammation ont été observées, mettant en évidence le mécanisme de SWACER lors de la transition.Un critère de transition de régime depuis l’auto-inflammation proposé de Zander et al., dans le cadre d’études numériques, a été testé dans notre configuration expérimentale. Un critère modifié a été développé en lui adjoignant la notion d’effets de compressibilité dans l’écoulement réactif. L’application de ce critère à l’ensemble des essais permet de prédire l’apparition de la détonation dans les conditions où 0 et 100 % de DAIDT sont observés. Les différents domaines de transition de régime ont également été positionnés sur le diagramme de Bradley (ξ, ϵ). Les modes de combustion prédits par le diagramme sont consistants avec ceux qui sont atteints dans la chambre.L’influence de la distribution initiale de température sur les modes de combustion atteignables dans la chambre a été étudiée. Trois topologies d’auto-inflammation ont été mises en évidence pour trois distributions de température dans la chambre. Ces topologies sont séparées en deux catégories, celles privilégiant une direction particulière lors de l’auto-inflammation séquentielle et celle présentant un comportement tridimensionnel.Les essais ayant un comportement tridimensionnel présentent une très forte propension à la DAIDT mais une propagation lente des fronts d’auto-inflammation. Dans ce cas, un autre mécanisme de transition vers la détonation est mis en évidence : l’auto-inflammation d’une poche homogène de gaz génère des ondes de choc et déclenchent des auto-inflammations successives pendant leur propagation. Le couplage choc/front réactif entraine la formation de la détonation.Différents mécanismes de transition vers la détonation ont été observés et étudiés sur une large plage de conditions de pression, température,richesse et gradient thermique. Les résultats obtenus permettront d’appuyer les études numériques réalisées sur le sujet, manquant jusque-là de données expérimentales en conditions académiques. / To meet the current environmental challenges, breakthrough solutions compared to existing turbomachines are currently under development.They rely on the use of more efficient thermodynamic cycles.The objective of this thesis is to study experimentally the mechanisms of transition of combustion regime using a kerosene surrogate, n-decane.For this purpose, a deflagration is initiated in a closed chamber and compresses the fresh gases. The pressure and the temperature of the endgas increase until reaching the conditions favorable to the appearance of the autoignition in the chamber.3 successive combustion regimes are characterized in the combustion chamber by means of fast optical diagnostics. A first heat release,associated with the cool flame phenomenon, pre-oxidizes the fresh gases, it is followed by the Main Heat Release (MHR). For the highest initial temperatures, a detonation is observed at the end of the process. Two different transition paths are highlighted: the Deflagration-Autoignition Transition (DAIT) and the Deflagration-Autoignition-Detonation Transition (DAIDT).The sensitivity of regime transitions to the initial conditions of pressure, temperature and mixture composition was characterized by means of several parametric studies. For this purpose, the conditions of temperature, pressure and composition of the mixture are calculated at the onset of the different reactive fronts (cool flame, MHR and detonation). In particular, it has been observed that the successive heat releases of theauto-ignition start at the same temperatures (740 K for the cool flame and 1050 K for the MHR) whatever the initial conditions. The study, then, focused on the analysis of a particular operating point. During the study of this operating point different self-ignition front velocities were observed, highlighting the mechanism of SWACER during the transition.A regime transition criterion proposed by Zander et al. based on numerical studies has been tested in our experimental setup. A modified criterion has been developed to take into account compressibility effects in the reactive flow. The application of this criterion to all the dataset makes possible to predict the appearance of the detonation under the conditions where 0 and 100% of DAIDT are observed. The different regime transition domains have also been positioned on the Bradley diagram (ξ, ε). The modes of combustion predicted by the diagram are consistent with those reached in the chamber.The influence of the initial temperature distribution on the combustion modes achievable in the chamber has been studied. Three topologies of autoignition have been demonstrated for three initial temperature distributions in the chamber. These topologies are separated into two categories, those favoring a particular direction during sequential self-ignition and that exhibiting a three-dimensional behavior.Three-dimensional tests show a very high propensity for DAIDT but a slow spread of autoignition fronts. In this case, another mechanism of transition to detonation is evidenced: the self-ignition of an homogeneous gas pocket generates shock waves and triggers successive autoinflammations during their propagation. The shock coupling / reactive front causes the formation of the detonation. Different transition mechanisms to detonation have been observed and studied over a wide range of pressure, temperature, equivalence ratio and thermal gradient conditions. The obtained results will be useful to support the numerical studies carried out on the subject, which lacks experimental data in academic conditions.