Numerical investigation for performance prediction of gas dynamic resonant igniters

The work presented herein is a numerical investigation of the flow field inside a resonant igniter, with the aim of predicting the performance in terms of cavity temperature and noise spectrum. A resonance ignition system represents an attractive solution for the ignition of liquid rocket engines in space missions which require multiple engine re-ignitions, like for example debris removal. Furthermore, the current trend in avoiding toxic propellants leads to the adoption of green propellant which does not show hypergolic properties and so the presence of a reliable ignition system becomes fundamental. Resonant igniters are attractive for in-space thrusters due to the low weight and the absence of an electric power source. However, their performances are strongly influenced by several geometrical and environmental parameters. This motivates the study proposed in this work in which the flow field inside a resonant igniter is numerically investigated. The unsteady compressible Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved by means of a finite volume scheme and the effects of several wall boundary conditions are investigated (adiabatic, isothermal, radiating). The results are compared with some available experimental data in terms of cavity temperature and noise spectrum.