Thermodynamics - Facilities
- Transient engine dynamomete
- Laser diagnostics
- Laminar premixed flame rig
- Turbulent premixed flame rig
- Constant volume chamber (CVC)
- Optical access engine
Transient engine dynamometer and emissions equipment
We have recently installed a Schenck/Horiba 460kW motoring/absorbing transient engine dynamometer in the laboratory, as the centrepiece of our participation in ACART (www.acart.com.au). This facility allows us to mimic on-road, transient engine load whilst controlling the internal combustion engine, and is therefore ideal for optimising advanced powertrains with conventional and alternative fuels.
Laser diagnostics
The laser diagnostic equipment consists of a tunable dye laser (Quantel TDL90) that is pumped by two Nd:YAG lasers with 380mJ at 532nm (Quantel 'Brilliant B Twins'), together with a high resolution CCD camera (Lavision 'Flowmaster'), with an image intensifier (Lavision IRO) and related hardware and software. This equipment is used on several rigs in the laboratory, notably the CVC, optical engine and the laminar and turbulent premixed combustion rigs.
Laminar premixed flame rig
We have built a rig for fundamental studies of laminar premixed flame dynamics. This rig allows us to interrogate the dynamics of laminar premixed flames in detail, over both the linear and non-linear acoustic forcing regimes and frequencies.
Turbulent premixed flame rig
Modern, natural gas fired gas turbines commonly use premixed flames. Whilst these flames may enable low emissions, they are susceptible to a phenomenon called 'thermoacoustic instability', which is an unstable coupling of the flame motion and the combustor acoustics. 
This rig allows us to study in detail a simple, turbulent premixed flame in thermoacoustically stable and unstable regimes. When unstables, this rig can produce sound waves up to 170dB in amplitude, which is louder than the sound you would hear if you stood 10m from a jet engine and roughly 100 times greater than your ear's threshold of pain!
Constant volume chamber (CVC)
When liquid fuel is injected into a combustion engine, it first breaks up into droplets and then evaporates and burns. These processes are complex, and are very challenging to analyse properly within an operating engine. We therefore use a constant volume chamber (CVC) to study the injection process itself, without the added complexity of a moving engine. This allows us to study the fuel spray in greater detail, using the laser diagnostic equipment in the laboratory.
Optical access engine
We have built a direct injection variant of a current automotive production engine, but with windows in its side. This allows us to take images of the motion in the engine, whilst it is operating, using the laser diagnostic equipment in the laboratory.