Thermochemical exploration of hydrogen combustion in generic scramjet combustor

Abstract

Numerical exploration of non-reacting and reacting flow field of hydrogen fueled scramjet combustor is presented. Three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations with K–ε turbulence model are solved using a commercial CFD solver. A combination of Eddy Dissipation (ED) and Finite Rate Chemistry (FRC) models is used to model combustion. The complex shock and expansion wave structures and their interactions are well captured in the simulation. The computed wall pressures match very well with the experimental values. Computed velocity profiles match nicely with the experimental results in the near wake region but overpredict the values in the far field region. It has been observed that the periodic boundary condition predicts early onset of reaction but the reaction zone is much boarder and intense for the full combustor simulation. Full combustor simulations predict the temperature profile more accurately and maximum deviation is of the order of 12%. Detailed H2–air chemistry is required to get better match of temperature field in the near wake regions.