Numerical investigation on the combustion characteristics of aluminum powder fuel in a supersonic cavity-based combustor

Abstract

In order to explore the propulsion performance and combustion organization rules of powder fueled scramjets, research on powder fuel combustion characteristics in a supersonic cavity-based combustion chamber is conducted. The numerical simulation method based on the Euler-Lagrange framework for supersonic gas–solid two-phase turbulent flow and combustion is established, and the rationality and accuracy of the adopted method are verified by the comparison with experimental data. The structural feature and flame patterns in the combustion chamber under different air–fuel ratio conditions are compared and analyzed. The influence law of air–fuel ratio on the combustion characteristic of powder fuel is obtained. The results indicate that the powder fuel can achieve stable combustion in the supersonic airflow. The interior of the cavity and the shear layer, near the boundary layer of the expansion section are the main flame distribution areas. With the increase of the air–fuel ratio, the total pressure loss along the combustion chamber gradually decreases. While the combustion efficiency of powder particles exhibits an opposite trend. Overall, it is beneficial to have a lower air–fuel ratio in the supersonic cavity-based combustor.