Fundamental and Applied Energetics

Mascotte, a Test Bench for Cryogenic Propellant Combustion Studies
Operation with Oxygen/Hydrogen

The present version of Mascotte can reach 80 bar with adapted combustor and nozzle. The tests that have been run since 1999 are mostly between 60 and 70 bar, which is suitable for operating above the critical pressure of oxygen (50.4 bar) with adequate margin.

A vast experimental program has been run since the first firing test of Mascotte on January 26, 1994, generating a large database for validating models and computation codes. These experiments, conducted with various Onera and CNRS teams, can be classified with respect to the phenomenon being studied: atomization, vaporization, turbulent combustion, stability (LF and HF), ignition, and heat transfers. The diagnostic means used are listed in the table below.

The following figures give examples of the images acquired at the same operating point by the EM2C laboratory of the Ecole Centrale de Paris, in OH radical emission imaging, and by Onera in high-speed visualization using a Phantom V4 digital camera synchronized to a copper vapor laser.

OH radical emission

High speed visualization using the backlighting technique

Last Update: 16 september 2006 - © ONERA 2009 - Terms of use