Flame stabilization and combustion enhancement in a scramjet combustor by varying strut injection angles

Abstract

The present study explores the characteristics of reacting flow in a scramjet combustor with struts, focusing particularly on implementing different injection strategies. A three-dimensional DLR scramjet combustor is utilised to assess the impact on the system, incorporating multiple injections and varying injection angles on the triangular wedge. The analysis considers three injectors with parallel, upward and downward injections at angles of 15° and 30°. The numerical investigation is con-ducted under a constant total pressure of 7.82 bar, a temperature of 340 K, and an airspeed of Mach 2 at the inlet. The results highlight the significance of injector location and shape in promoting flame stabilization. Furthermore, injection angles play a crucial role in mitigating shockwave intensity. The numerical analysis involves a steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equation with the shear stress transport k–ω turbulence model. The obtained results were analyzed by examining the critical variables such as Mach number, static pressure and combustion efficiency across the combustor. Based on the com-putational results, injecting fuel upward not only increases the overall pressure loss but also enhances the subsonic regime downstream of the strut, which leads to better mixing and combustion efficiencies. This is primarily due to shockwave generation from the edges of the strut and the interactions with the fuel stream shear layers.