Elimination or reduction of auxiliary oxygen use in Pulse Detonation Engines (PDEs) is necessary if the technology is to compete with existing Ramjet systems. This thesis investigated a Transient Plasma Ignition (TPI) system and found that the technology can at least reduce and may be able to completely remove the auxiliary oxygen requirement of current PDE systems. TPI was tested and compared with a traditional capacitive discharge spark plug system in a dynamic flow, ethylene/air mixture combustor. Ignition delay time, Deflagration-to-Detonation transition (DDT) distance and time, detonation wave speed and fire success rate performance were analyzed for various mass flow rates and stoichiometric ratios. A transient plasma dualelectrode concept was also employed and analyzed. Results show that TPI is more effective and reliable than the spark plug ignition with considerable improvements to DDT performance. The TPI dual-electrode concept was proven to be the most effective configuration with average reductions in DDT distance and time of 17% and 41% respectively when compared to the capacitive discharge spark plug system configuration.

Propulsion systems like Turboprop engines are generally designed to operate at a narrow range of optimum steady state performance conditions. However, these conditions are likely to vary in an unpredictable manner according to factors such as components aging, structural damages or even the operating environment. Over time, inefficiencies could add up and can lead to expensive fuel consumption or faster component aging. This thesis presents a self-optimizing control scheme, referred as Peak-seeking control, applied to propulsion systems similar to Turboprop engines. Using an extended Kalman filter, the Peak-seeking method is able drive the system to an optimal condition based only on measurements. No prior knowledge of the engine dynamics is required which make the Peak-seeking technique easy to implement and also allow for modularity in the engine design. This study is performed on both a turboprop and a DC motor driving a variable pitch propeller and considers several performance functions to optimize.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MS)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2009. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Steven R. Shaw. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-65).

M.Ing. (Electrical And Electronic Engineering) / In-vehicle Power Line Communication (PLC) is an emerging technology that can easily bene t the automotive industry by reducing the amount of wires (and hence cost, weight and complexity) for vehicle wire harnesses. The reduction in weight would also lead to less fuel consumption. This dissertation aims at taking the research of this technology a step towards fully understanding the vehicle's power line as a communication medium. We investigate the bit error characteristics of a readily available transceiver on the vehicle's power bus. To do so, we develop and perform bit error recording over the medium to get experimental results with the battery line under di ferent operating conditions. Using the rst set of these results, we parametrise di erent kinds of Markov models to see which one simulates the channel best. Using the preferred model, we then model the rest of the sets of results so that we can simulate the channel's bit error characteristics under these di erent conditions. Using these models, we demonstrate how these simulations can be used to evaluate the performance of di erent error detection and correction techniques. In particular, we evaluate the error detection mechanisms used in the popular in-vehicle Local Intercon- nect Network (LIN) protocol, in addition to some simple error correction techniques.

<div>A new class of bladeless turbines was developed which allows for power extraction from harsh environments with minimal maintenance cost. This is achieved through a wavy hub surface that promotes shocks and expansion fans and hence generates torque besides trust if used as bottoming or topping cycle. </div><div>A numerical procedure to design, mesh, and model this new expansion device through steady and unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes simulations is outlined. Then, the full three-dimensional flow field is replicated using a two-dimensional geometry to enable a simpler test section with full optical access at the Purdue Experimental Turbine Aerothermal Lab. Pressure, heat flux, and skin friction are computed via several measurement techniques to provide an accurate estimation of the uncertainties on the power, efficiency, and heat flux of the bladeless turbine. High-frequency pressure sensors (160 kHz) along with a high-frequency heat flux sensor (atomic layer thermopile) are used to characterize the unsteady phenomena on the hub and the shroud. Unsteadiness in the flow field is assessed through 10 kHz shadowgraph, density gradients are quantitatively assessed via 3 kHz Background Oriented Schlieren, and unsteady velocity components and flow angles are characterized with 1 kHz Femtosecond Laser Electronic Excitation Tagging. A reduced order model is constructed with Spectral Proper Orthogonal Decomposition to retrieve the dominant frequencies in the flow field, which could be associated with a multitude of shock-boundary layer, shock-shock, and shock-shear layer interactions.</div><div>A parametric study and multi-objective optimization to maximize power extraction while minimizing pressure loss and heat flux are performed. The operational envelope and scaling of the bladeless turbine are described for several reduced mass flows, reduced speeds, and swirl angles. Based on all the gathered simulations, a guideline for the design of bladeless turbines is provided.</div><div><br></div><div>Finally, the operation of the bladeless turbine is analyzed considering the unsteady propagation of a rotating oblique shock throughout the passage. Non-dimensional parameters to generically describe rotating shocks are discussed, and their influence on the operation of the turbine is assessed. Correction terms for the power and pressure loss during the unsteady operation of the bladeless turbine are developed with results of this section.</div><div><br></div>

A transformation between minimum dimension adjoint variables and redundant adjoint variables is derived in this dissertation. The transformation is then applied between the adjoint variables associated with Cartesian position and velocity vectors and a set of redundant adjoint variables associated with certain regularized variables (Schumacher variables). This transformation proves to be very beneficial when it is applied to minimum-fuel space rendezvous and intercept problems. It facilitates using attributes from the two systems simultaneously; a new necessary condition in Schumacher adjoints is derived in this dissertation, and this together with classical necessary conditions for fuel-optimal transfer (existing in the position and velocity space) leads to a numerical algorithm which seems to be quite robust in finding candidate optimal control solutions for space transfer problems. / Ph. D.

More electric aircraft systems, high power avionics, and a reduction in heat sink capacity have placed a larger emphasis on correctly satisfying aircraft thermal management requirements during conceptual design. Thermal management systems must be capable of dealing with these rising heat loads, while simultaneously meeting mission performance. Since all subsystem power and cooling requirements are ultimately traced back to the engine, the growing interactions between the propulsion and thermal management systems are becoming more significant. As a result, it is necessary to consider their integrated performance during the conceptual design of the aircraft gas turbine engine cycle to ensure that thermal requirements are met. This can be accomplished by using thermodynamic modeling and simulation to investigate the subsystem interactions while conducting the necessary design trades to establish the engine cycle. As the foundation for this research, a parsimonious, transparent thermodynamic model of propulsion and thermal management systems performance was created with a focus on capturing the physics that have the largest impact on propulsion design choices. A key aspect of this approach is the incorporation of physics-based formulations involving the concurrent usage of the first and second laws of thermodynamics to achieve a clearer view of the component-level losses. This is facilitated by the direct prediction of the exergy destruction distribution throughout the integrated system and the resulting quantification of available work losses over the time history of the mission. The characterization of the thermodynamic irreversibility distribution helps give the designer an absolute and consistent view of the tradeoffs associated with the design of the system. Consequently, this leads directly to the question of the optimal allocation of irreversibility across each of the components. An irreversibility allocation approach based on the economic concept of resource allocation is demonstrated for a canonical propulsion and thermal management systems architecture. By posing the problem in economic terms, exergy destruction is treated as a true common currency to barter for improved efficiency, cost, and performance. This then enables the propulsion systems designer to better fulfill system-level requirements and to create a system more robust to future requirements.