Effect of Noise on a Model Thermoacoustic System at its Stability Boundary

In experiments on aprototypical combustor, Richard Steinert identifies new insights on the impactof noise on the phenomenon known as thermoacoustic instability. The phenomenonis a concerning issue which creates a technical limit on the efficiency andenvironmental impact of fossil fuels combustion in industrial combustors. Itposes a threat to the structural integrity of practical systems such as gasturbine combustors and rocket engines. The experiments demonstrate thatthermoacoustic systems feature an interesting noise-induced behaviour known ascoherence resonance – a coherent response of dynamical systems close to theirstability boundary that is induced by stochastic excitation. The work containedin this publication is an example illustrating the importance of fundamentalconsiderations in solving perplexing engineering issues.