Influence of an Accelerated Electron Beam and External Electric Field on the Combustion of a Propane–Air Mixture in a Subsonic Air Flow

Abstract

The influence of preliminary ionization and excitation of molecules of a fuel–air mixture when exposed to an electron beam created in an external electric field on increasing the intensity of combustion processes is considered. To study the effect of electron beam plasma on the combustion of a propane–air mixture, a series of experiments were carried out. The characteristics of the propane–air mixture are determined before and after irradiation with an electron beam in the presence and absence of an external electric field. The boundaries of the combined effect of an electron beam and an external electric field are found to increase the efficiency of combustion of a propane–air mixture in a subsonic flow. A physical model of processes in a non-self-sustaining discharge in a subsonic flow of a combustible mixture under known experimental conditions is developed.