A Numerical Study of Oxygen/Hydrogen Mixing and Combustion of a Shear Coaxial Injector

Abstract

[Abstract] As the thrust performance is improved and the operational range is enlarged, the problem of combustion instability in LOX/GH2 rocket engines has become increasingly serious. The need for detailed knowledge of the mixing and combustion process of a shear coaxial injector becomes critical. In the present paper, the focus was on the oxygen/hydrogen mixing and combustion of a shear coaxial injector. And the emphasis was on examining the effects of the mixture ratio, the initial temperature and pressure in the chamber on the adiabatic flame temperature, the effects of two kinds of chemical reaction kinetics mechanisms on the oxygen/hydrogen mixing and combustion processes. Additionally, a preliminary study by an axisymmetric numerical simulation with detailed chemistry and fine mesh systems was conducted for a single shear coaxial injector element. The combustion flowfield of the oxygen/hydrogen system at the supercritical condition was acquired and the characteristics of the combustion flame holding mechanism were analyzed. It is the foundation for analyzing the combustion instability mechanism of the LOX/GH2 rocket engine.