Combustion instabilities in propulsion systems

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to give a broad overview of the field of combustion instabilities in propulsion systems. Virtually all of the material included here has appeared elsewhere, either in primary research reports or in reviews. None of the propulsion systems are covered in great detail, but sufficiently to establish the fundamental point that while there are obvious practical differences among the systems, for understanding and treating combustion instabilities, much is to be gained by treating the various phenomena within a common framework. In that context, the systems are distinguished chiefly by geometry and the kinds of propellants used. On that basis, a general framework can be constructed to serve both practical and theoretical purposes.