RAPIERE - An innovative industrial optical measurement system for scramjet flows

Abstract

Specific problems of supersonic flying ramjets and mostly dual mode ramjets and scramjets have conducted to try to breach the wall between the and the laboratory methods. Cooperation with researchers in France and other countries have led to explore and experimentally use optical methods in industrial facilities. In particular, French PREPHA Program gave from 1993 to 1998 the opportunity to develop a lot of measurement techniques for high temperature reacting flow usable in industrial environment. From these examples had been extracted some requirements for optical methods to be used by non-specialists in industrial test facilities, during tests that are non-dedicated to these measures. The available results of CHAMOIS scramjet testing in BourgesSubdray show it seems achievable. Then the work, based on passive methods using natural emissivity of the hot gases, is continuing on an innovative project, called RAPIERE, with the support of the European Community (FEDER-objectif2 and FSE specific grants), the Centre Region, the French Ministry of Education, Research and Technology. RAPIERE means Rapid Affordable Probe for Investigating the Efficiency of Ramjet Engines. A dedicated team has been created around the RAPIERE project, with the association of two industry partners and several research laboratories. The RAPIERE objective is, before July 2001, to develop, build and use an optical sensor, associated with optical and numerical treatment, in order to measure in less than 1 second the unknown temperature profile in a dual-mode ramjet fuelled with hydrogen or hydrocarbon. The typical values for RAPIERE operation are 1000 to 3000 K of static temperature, at 0.05 to 1 MPa.