Influencing factors on the mode transition in a dual-mode scramjet

Abstract

An experimental investigation was performed to characterize the effects of fuel type, injector configuration, inflow total temperature and fuel injection distribution on the mode transition in a dual-mode scramjet combustor. High enthalpy vitiated air was heated to three total temperatures by the hydrogen–oxygen combustion, entering the isolator entrance at a Mach number of 2.0. Fuel was injected through a four-hole aero-ramp or transverse injector, and ignited by a gas-pilot flame. At an inflow stagnation condition of P0=0.85MPa and T0=1200K, three combustion modes, namely Pure Scram Mode, Dual-Mode Scram Mode and Dual-Mode Ram Mode, were classified through the wall pressure distributions, one-dimensional performance analysis, and optical visualization. Two critical fuel equivalence ratios were selected to divide three combustion modes. At the lower transition point, ERlc, the transition from Pure Scram Mode to Dual-Mode Scram Mode occurred corresponding to a normalized wall pressure at x/H=2.5 of 0.23; while at the upper transition point, ERuc, the transition from Dual-Mode Scram Mode to Dual-Mode Ram Mode occurred corresponding to a normalized wall pressure at x/H=2.5 of 0.34. The transition width, ERw, was defined as the difference of two transition points. In this limited range, the combustor was operating in the Dual-Mode Scram Mode. The ERuc was estimated based on the Rayleigh flow relation, and the applicability of the analytic equation was testified through a series of experiments with different boundary conditions. The experimental results showed that two transition points in the ethylene case were higher in ER than in the hydrogen case, and the measured ERuc of two fuels were all 2.5 times larger than the predicted values. However, two fuels had little difference on the transition width. Due to the angled injection, two transition points in the aero-ramp case were higher in ER than in the transverse injector case; while the influence of injector configuration on the transition width can be neglected. Two transition points and transition width increased with increase in the inflow total temperature. Although having the same changing trend, all the measured ERuc at three inflow total temperatures were approximately 3.0 times larger than the predictions. Under the constant overall ER, the transition from Dual-Mode Ram Mode to Dual-Mode Scram Mode occurred with more fuel injected in the downstream combustor. Furthermore, hysteresis was observed in the transition region, illustrating the dynamic characteristics of the Dual-Mode Scram Mode.