Induction Period for Ignition of Fuel Sprays at High Temperatures and Pressures

An experimental study of the induction period for ignition of fuel sprays with particular consideration of its dependence upon temperature and pressure is reported. Emphasis in the study was placed upon conditions of thermodynamically supercritical state for the fuel. The tests were performed in a stainless steel cylindrical chamber located in an oven, both provided with quartz windows for optical insight in axial direction of the radially injected spray. Spray formation and ignition were observed by high-speed schlieren cinematography concomitantly with measurements of chamber pressure and the displacement of the injector needle. The induction period was evaluated as the time interval between the rise in the displacement transducer signal and the instant when pressure attained three percent of its peak value.