On the Formation of Nitrogen Oxides During the Combustion of ...

3 Experiments on Droplet Array Combustion
(Fig. 3.10, C). Since the DCU including the combustion chamber is an open
structure, an enveloping vacuum protection is naturally needed to keep the
module pressurized. While the aircraft cabin and drop capsule performed this
task automatically on parabolic flight and in the drop tower, respectively, an
additional vacuum dome (Fig. 3.10, D) was required during all stages of the
sounding rocket flight. The electrical interface is realized by three BNC and
four Amphenol ® connectors (Fig. 3.10, B and K). The water cooling system
(Fig. 3.10, J) is used to keep the temperature inside the vacuum protection at
an acceptable level. The external system is capable of removing a thermal output
of 1kW, and the cooling water can be controlled in the range of 10 to 30 ◦ C.
It is mainly employed for heat removal during extended phases of combustion
chamber preheating.
Before, during, and after the integration of the experiment, a large number
of tests were conducted in order to verify the operability of the equipment in
general and under microgravity conditions in particular:
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• Mechanical and electrical interface verification
• Functional tests of all subsystems and full functional tests including
combustion sequence and exhaust gas sampling
• Temperature tests and monitoring during all experiment stages
• Leak test of vacuum dome, air supply system, and exhaust gas sampling
system, including vacuum level and leakage rate
• Data recording and data transmission including telecommand
• Interference and electromagnetic compatibility
• Spin, acceleration, and vibration simulation on shaker
• Flight sequence testing and training
• Official acceptance tests through EADS Astrium
• Quality assurance arrangements
• Safety evaluation of equipment under all relevant aspects, including
sharp edges, discharge of material, high pressure blowout, and fire hazard