Velocity Measurements and Phase Tracking in a Shock-Driven Multiphase Instability

An experimental investigation has been performed to study physical phenomena induced by the impulsive acceleration of a heterogeneously seeded multiphase flow-field within a shock tube system. In order to achieve this, a cylindrical interface comprising of nitrogen, seeded with micron-sized acetone droplets, was generated within the shock tube's test section and accelerated by a planar shock wave. The nitrogen gas itself was saturated with acetone vapor tracer and mixed into the interface to prevent premature droplet evaporation. The development of both the dispersed and carrier phases was captured through a series of Planar Laser Mie Scattering (PLMS) and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) images, respectively. In addition, lag effects between the phases were visualized and quantified. The results were compared to simulations for validation. This experimental investigation has a multitude of applications in a variety of scientific and engineering systems; with a particular relevance to systems that involve high-speed or shock-induced multiphase combustion.