A study of the pulsation driving mechanism in pulsating combustors

Experiments performed in a facility consisting of a Schmidt-type pulsating combustor, in which high-speed photographs were taken and pressure, temperature and gas composition measured, showed that the air supply conditions at the inlet and the volume of the combustor strongly influence the oscillation frequency. From the measurements, the existence of two separate regions, one containing cold air and the other containing fuel-rich gas, was found, and a pressure-volume diagram was drawn, showing the effect of chemical energy release and heat supply during the compression stroke and differentiating it from the expansion. A model of the interaction between the cyclic combustion process and the acoustic oscillations of the gas volume within the chamber and the tail-pipe is presented. The conditions for chemical energy release that result in high-pressure amplitude are described.