Active control of combustion stability by means of an electrical discharge

A new method is proposed for controlling unstable combustion in combustion chambers by organizing a diffuse electrical discharge in the combustion zone with a special power supply that has an impedance that varies with the control task. The maximum shunt currents in the combustion zone of propane-air mixtures are determined as a function of the mixture composition. It is shown experimentally that when a constant current discharge is imposed on the combustion zone, unstable combustion is automatically suppressed at all harmonics, simultaneously, as a result of internal negative feedback. When a constant voltage discharge is applied, the opposite effect is seen, with the excitation and enhancement of unstable combustion.