International Journal of Fluid Mechanics Research, cilt.51, sa.6, 2024 (ESCI)
The effect of enhancing the air inflow Mach number of a strut-injected cavity incorporated in a scramjet combustor is numerically studied. The computational investigations are performed using the commercial code AnsysFluent software. The simulation is carried out using the SST k-ω turbulence model with single-step reaction chemistry and a two-dimensional planar model using the RANS method. The cavities are positioned downstream of the strut injector that are fixed to the top and bottom walls. This configuration enables for the analysis of the shock wave pattern and its correlations with shear layer mixing features. Three inflow Mach numbers are opted for the present investigation, i.e., Mach 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0. The investigations are accomplished on the flow pattern, static pressure and temperature distributions, and performance analyses for the twin cavity designs that fit into the DLR scramjet, analyses are performed throughout the entire combustor length. A reduction in combustion chamber length by 20% and complete combustion is achieved from the twin cavity configuration as compared to the baseline model, but the overall pressure drop is increased round 23% because of the formation of additional shock waves from the cavities. Moreover, the combustion zone prolongs along the flow direction due to the increase in the inflow Mach numbers.