Fluid disintegration studies in a specialized shock tube

Abstract

This paper describes a double-diaphragm shock tube, designed for the experimental investigation of fundamental processes related to §uid disintegration and mixing at elevated pressures and temperatures, representative for realistic engine conditions. Special features of the shock tube include a variable-area driver section to compensate for shock attenuation and boundary layer e¨ects. In discussing the shock tube operational envelope, particular emphasis is given to the requirements to be ful¦lled to attain reproducible and accurate experimental data and to capture the most relevant features of subcritical and supercritical mixing behavior. A review of potential thermodynamic transitions for near-critical jet disintegration phenomena is presented and the main features of each disintegration mode are discussed on the basis of the shock tube experiments.