High-frequency pulsed co-axial injector system and method for high-speed flow mixing and control

1 . An injection system, comprising:

a Resonance Enhanced Microjet (REM) nozzle assembly, comprising:

a plurality of plates including a top plate and a bottom plate,

a first inlet formed in the top plate and coupled to a steady jet from a source nozzle,

the bottom plate including a hollow cavity having a bottom surface,

a tube fixedly coupled within the bottom plate and within the hollow cavity to form a first outlet flush with an exit side of the bottom plate that exits a supersonic pulsed actuation jet, the first inlet and the first outlet being fluid coupled together,

a second outlet in the bottom plate and positioned concentric about the tube to form a circular slit around the tube, the circular slit being directly fluidly coupled to the bottom surface of the hollow cavity to produce a co-axial annular jet, and

a second inlet via a conduit coupled to a secondary fluid stream source and the hollow cavity;

wherein the first outlet and the circular slit are constructed and arranged to effectuate a plurality of different mixing mechanisms between the co-axial annular jet emitted from the circular slit and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet emitted from the first outlet.

2 . The injection system according to claim 1 , wherein:

the second outlet has an inner diameter of 1.96 millimeters (mm);

the tube has an inner diameter of 1 mm and an outer diameter of 1.5 mm; and

the circular slit has a thickness of 0.230 mm between an outer surface of the tube and an inner surface of the second outlet.

3 . The injection system according to claim 1 , wherein the REM nozzle assembly has a frequency that has an inverse correlation to a volume of the REM nozzle assembly, the frequency is a function of one or more parameters including geometric parameters of the REM nozzle assembly, injection pressure and steady source jet mass flow rate so that by changing some of the parameters the actuation jet can be operated in steady mode without pulsation.

4 . The injection system according to claim 3 , wherein the volume is 20.6 mm 3 .

5 . The injection system according to claim 1 , wherein the supersonic pulsed actuation jet includes:

an evolving vortex;

a moving shockwave; and

a wavefront, which impacts a mixing process between the supersonic pulsed actuation jet and the co-axial annular jet from the circular slit.

6 . The injection system according to claim 5 , wherein the co-axial annular jet:

has a core;

surrounds the supersonic pulsed actuation jet within the core;

is entrained into the evolving vortex of the supersonic pulsed actuation jet; and

diffuses into the supersonic pulsed actuation jet as the co-axial annular jet moves downstream.

7 . The injection system according to claim 6 , wherein the vortex and the shockwave excite a shear layer of annular flow of the co-axial annular jet, causing enhanced mixing between the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet.

8 . The injection system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different mixing mechanisms includes:

a first mixing mechanism of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet due to vortex-induced mixing of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet;

a second mixing mechanism of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet due to shockwave-induced mixing between the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet;

a third mixing mechanism of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet, which is due to growth and entrainment of a vortex downstream; and

a fourth mixing mechanism of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet, which is from natural diffusion from inner and outer shear layers of the co-axial annular jet.

9 . The injection system according to claim 8 , wherein:

the first outlet and the circular slit form a nozzle exit;

the supersonic pulsed actuation jet creates a compressible vortex formed near proximate to the nozzle exit; and

the compressible vortex entrains the co-axial annular jet at the nozzle exit and moves forward with a velocity of 200+ meters/second.

10 . The injection system according to claim 8 , wherein:

the shockwave-induced mixing is caused by a pulsing action that produces a shockwave that moves faster than a jet front, causing a breakdown of the shear layer;

the pulsing action creates fragmented structures of the co-axial annular jet surrounded by the supersonic pulsed actuation jet; and

the moving shockwave drags some of these fragmented structures in a forward motion, creating a plume of disintegrated co-axial annular jet surrounded by the actuation jet.

11 . The injection system according to claim 10 , wherein:

the fourth mixing mechanism is the natural diffusion to ambiance from the inner and outer shear layers of moving vortexes and that of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet.

12 . A method, comprising:

providing the injection system according to claim 1 , having a nozzle exit emitting a supersonic pulsed actuation jet pulsing in the frequency range 10-20 kHz and a co-axial annular jet concentrically surrounding the supersonic pulsed actuation jet;

causing a first mixing of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet, due to vortex-induced mixing;

causing a second mixing, of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet due to shockwave-induced mixing;

causing a third mixing of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet, which is due to growth and entrainment of a vortex downstream; and

causing a fourth mixing of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet, which is from natural diffusion from inner and outer shear layers of the co-axial annular jet.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the the vortex-induced mixing includes:

creating a compressible vortex proximate to the nozzle exit; and

entraining, by the compressible vortex, the co-axial annular jet at the nozzle exit and moving forward with a velocity of 200+ meters/second.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein:

during the shockwave-induced mixing, causing by a pulsing action to produce a shockwave that moves faster than a jet front, causing a breakdown of the shear layer;

the pulsing action creates fragmented structures of the co-axial annular jet surrounded by the supersonic pulsed actuation jet; and

the moving shockwave drags some of these fragmented structures in a forward motion, creating a plume of disintegrated co-axial annular jet surrounded by the actuation jet.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein:

the fourth mixing is the natural diffusion to ambiance from the outer shear layer and an inner shear layer of moving vortexes and that of the co-axial annular jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet.

16 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the nozzle exit comprises:

a tube having an inner diameter of 1 millimeter (mm) and an outer diameter of 1.5 mm and forming a first outlet;

a second outlet having an inner diameter of 1.96 mm; and

a circular slit having a thickness of 0.230 mm between an outer surface of the tube and an inner surface of the second outlet.

17 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein mixing operation performed by the first, second, third and fourth mixing is improved by 50-115% compared to a steady co-axial injection under the same injection pressure conditions.

18 . A method comprising:

providing an injection system according to claim 1 , having a nozzle exit emitting a supersonic pulsed actuation jet pulsing at a controlled frequency in the frequency range 10-20 kHz and a co-axial annular jet concentrically surrounding the supersonic pulsed actuation jet;

changing the frequency of pulsing or amplitude of pulsing of the supersonic pulsed actuation jet; and

controlling mixing of the co-axial jet and the supersonic pulsed actuation jet, in response to changing the frequency.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein the high-speed mixing is improved in a range of 50-115% by changing at least one of the frequency of pulsing and the amplitude of pulsing.

20 . A method comprising:

providing an injection system according to claim 1 , having a nozzle exit emitting a supersonic pulsed actuation jet pulsing at a frequency in the frequency range 10-20 kHz and a co-axial annular jet concentrically surrounding the supersonic pulsed actuation jet, wherein the supersonic pulsed actuation jet is air and the annular stream is a fuel; and

mixing the air and the co-axial annular jet stream of the fuel in flow conditions such as experienced for combustion in a scramjet combustor.

21 . A method comprising:

providing an injection system according to claim 1 , having a nozzle exit emitting a supersonic pulsed actuation jet pulsing at a frequency in the frequency range 10-20 kHz and a co-axial annular jet concentrically surrounding the supersonic pulsed actuation jet;

mixing the supersonic pulsed actuation jet and the co-axial annular jet; and

removing heat using the supersonic pulsed actuation jet and the co-axial annular jet in response to the mixing to remove heat from a nuclear reactor, high-density-electronic device, or a gas turbine.

22 . A method comprising:

providing an injection system according to claim 1 , having a nozzle exit emitting a supersonic pulsed actuation jet pulsing at a frequency in the frequency range 10-20 kHz and a co-axial annular jet concentrically surrounding the supersonic pulsed actuation jet;

mixing of the supersonic pulsed actuation jet and the co-axial annular jet; and

cooling using the supersonic pulsed actuation jet and the co-axial annular jet in response to the mixing to cool a nuclear reactor, electronic device, or a gas turbine.