• [2012-11-30]

  Advances in Shock Tube Techniques for Studies of Combustion Chemistry

  Speaker： Prof. Ronald K. Hanson
  Time：10:00 am

Date：December 7, 2012

Venue：Conference Room 210, Building No.1, Engineering College   Abstract: Progress is reported on the continued refinement of methods for studying combustion chemistry behind reflected shock waves in shock tubes. These advancements include modifications to normal shock tube design and operation as well as improvements in species detection using laser absorption.  The use of driver inserts has led to improved uniformity of reflected shock temperature, while the combined use of tailored driver gases and modified driver geometry has yielded substantial gains in shock tube test time, enabling quantitative study of combustion chemistry at longer test times and lower reaction temperatures than previously demonstrated.  The development of new strategies for confining the reaction volume in reflected shock experiments has provided the first opportunity for accurate modeling of reflected shock waves with chemical energy change (exothermic or endothermic processes), thereby extending the utility of shock tubes for studying combustion chemistry.  Finally, the continued development of laser absorption methods at Stanford has led to unique ability for sensitive time-history measurements of several species, needed for direct determinations of rate constants for elementary reactions and for quantitative evaluation of detailed kinetic mechanisms currently used to simulate combustion of hydrocarbon fuels.   About the speaker:  Professor Hanson earned a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Oregon State University, M.S. in mechanical engineering from Arizona State University and Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University.  He has been affiliated with the mechanical engineering department at Stanford since 1972, serving as department chair from 1993-2003 and holding the Woodard Chair from 1994. He has advised over 85 Ph.D. graduates and authored or co-authored over 500 journal publications in the fields of laser diagnostics and sensors, shock wave physics, advanced propulsion and combustion chemistry. Dr. Hanson is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Optical Society of America (OSA), and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). He is a recipient of the Silver Medal and the Alfred Egerton Gold Medal of the Combustion Institute, the R.I.Soloukhin Award of the Institute for Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems (IDERS), and the AIAA Awards for Propellants and Combustion and for Advanced Measurement Technology.