An experimental investigation of sootshell formation in microgravity droplet combustion

Spherically symmetric droplet combustion experiments were performed at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) 2.2 second drop tower in Cleveland, OH in an effort to better understand the mechanism leading to sootshell formation. Rapid insertion of a blunt plunger was used to remove the symmetric sootshell that formed during the period of quasi-steady burning. This allowed for the observation of sootshell re-formation. Soot particles were formed near the flame front and migrated towards the droplet to ultimately reside at the sootshell location. These experiments helped to bring about a better understanding of soot transport in microgravity droplet combustion.