Author(s)

M. Egoavil, R. Puster

Abstract

A severe buoyancy problem analysis and solution using CFD Marco Egoavil, Richard Puster NASA Langley Research Center - USA Abstract The 8-Foot High-Temperature Tunnel (8-FT HTT) at the NASA Langley Research Center is a unique world class facility with a wide range of working parameters. New airfoil-shaped fuel injectors and an ignitor are being designed to minimize the effects of the buoyancy in the tunnel. Buoyancy in combustion chambers may seem to be a second order problem, but this is not true if large density gradients or differences are present at high pressure, as happens in the combustion chamber of the 8-FT HTT. The problem arises because not all of the enriched air at 410°R to 470°R is reacted and has a density that is almost 9 times that of the reaction products. The cold, dense surrounding fluid falls to the bottom of the chamber while the hot, low density reaction products tend to segregate to the top of the chamber, resulting in overheating of the li

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