Computational study of SCRAM Jet combustor with a co-axial strut fuel injector

Abstract

The geometric configuration of Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (SCRAM) is relatively simple when compared to gas turbine engines as there are no moving parts, but the flow physics associated with it is quite complex. At high speeds of flight the residence time of the atmospheric air in the combustion chamber is very low it is of the order of milliseconds, within this short time the fuel injected in to air must efficiently mix and react to release energy in the combustion chamber. The Combustor length and Weight can be minimized and Thrust produced can be maximized by rapid and effective mixing of fuel and oxidizer. The present study focuses on using coaxial type fuel injectors and studies the characteristics of SCRAM Jet Engines. From the results obtained it is observed that the turbulence kinetic energy of the coaxial jets is improved by the four times at the point of fuel injection when compared with the circular jet injector. As Turbulent kinetic energy is one of the parameter indicating the mixing of the fuel and oxidized (air), it is concluded that by employing the coaxial strut fuel injectors the mixing of fuel and oxidized can be enhanced.