Experimental investigations into the operational parameters of a 50 centimeter class pulsejet engine

by 1977- Ordon, Robert Lewis

ORDON, ROBERT LEWIS. Experimental Investigations Into The Operational Parameters Of a 50 Centimeter Class Pulsejet Engine. (Under the direction of Dr. William L. Roberts.) A hobby scale pulsejet, commercially available from Bailey Machine Services (BMS), is significantly instrumented and tested to develop a theoretical understanding of how various inlets, fuel systems, and exhaust sizes effect the overall performance of the jet. The purposes of these experiments are to aid in the development and optimization of valveless pulsejet engines. A valved inlet running on ethanol is tested as well as valveless inlets running on propane. Valveless inlet diameters and lengths are varied as well as exhaust lengths and compared to acoustic models, namely the Helmholtz resonator and 1/6 wave tube resonator models. Temperatures, average and peak combustion chamber and exit pressures, sound pressure levels and jet operating frequencies were recorded at various fuel flow rates.