Intelligent variable strut for combustion performance optimization of a wide-range scramjet engine

Abstract

This paper investigates an intelligent strut design scheme for achieving high-performance combustion of a combustion chamber under wide-ranging flow conditions. The design process involves optimizing the base strut configuration for the design point and obtaining the Pareto front. The subsequent selection of the optimal configuration is followed by analyzing and interpreting the optimization results using single-factor analysis rules. The findings reveal that the selected optimal configuration enhances the combustion efficiency by 8.22% and reduces the force by 66.12% compared to the traditional DLR combustion chamber. Additionally, a surrogate model is constructed to investigate the influence of the rotation angle of the intelligent strut's rotating blades on the combustion efficiency and force at a Mach number range of 2–3.5. Results indicate that the intelligent strut is capable of improving combustion efficiency via regulation, and the efficiency can quickly reach a desirable level. These findings suggest that the proposed design scheme has potential applications in achieving high-performance combustion in combustion chambers exposed to wide-ranging flow conditions.