Developing characteristics of subsonic-supersonic shear layers induced by different lobed mixers in the RBCC

Abstract

The rapid mixing of air and rocket gas is pivotal for enhancing combustion performance in the ejector mode of rocket-based combined-cycle engines. This study experimentally investigated developing characteristics of subsonic-supersonic shear layers induced by sinusoidal- and rectangular-lobed mixers using a subsonic-supersonic shear layer experimental system and an ice-cluster-based planar laser scattering technique. Both sinusoidal- and rectangular-lobed mixers evidently bolstered mixing through the promotion of transverse flow and vortex interactions. Under equivalent conditions, the sinusoidal-lobed mixer offered superior mixing effects. The mixing enhancement of a sinusoidal-lobed mixer exhibited a positive correlation with the wavelength, with excessively small wavelengths potentially impeding mixing. Based on the dimensionless wavelength ratio, a criterion was identified for evaluating the mixing enhancement of the sinusoidal-lobed mixer: a positive mixing enhancement occurred when the dimensionless wavelength ratio was at least 1. Notably, in this study, the shear layer thickness growth rate increased by 12 % when the dimensionless wavelength ratio was 1.905. These findings can offer valuable insights for improving combustion performance via enhanced mixing.