Numerical Simulation Study of Supersonic Combustion in Model Combustors

Abstract

Air-fuel mixing and flame-holding are two important factors that have to be considered in the design of an injection system. Different injection strategies have been proposed with particular concern for rapid air-fuel mixing and flame-holding. Two representative injection techniques can be applied in a supersonic combustor. One of the simplest approaches is a transverse(normal) injection. The cavity flame holder, an integrated fuel injection/flameholding approach, has been proposed as a new concept for flame holding and air-fuel mixing in a supersonic combustor. This paper describes numerical efforts to characterize the flameholding and air-fuel mixing process of a model scramjet engine combustor, where hydrogen is injected into a supersonic cross flow and a cavity. The combustion phenomena in a model scramjet engine, which has been experimentally studied at University of Queensland and Australian National University using a free-piston shock tunnel, were observed around the separation region of the transverse injector upstream and the inside cavity. The results show that this flow separation generates recirculation regions which increase air-fuel mixing. Selfignition occurs in the separation-freestream and cavity-freestream interfaces.