Numerical Investigation of Flame Holder Effects on the Performance of a Turbofan Combustion Chamber Used in a Ramjet

Abstract

In recent years, many turbofan engines that lack flight certification have been repurposed for other applications, such as power generation or providing air mass flow. This article investigates the feasibility and characteristics of using a standard turbofan combustion chamber in a ramjet application. One can of the combustion chamber from the D30K engine, which is of a can-annular type, was selected as the basis for this study. A redesign process was undertaken to determine the geometry of the combustion chamber based on existing scientific and technical literature. The geometric ratios of the D30K engine were used for validation, demonstrating satisfactory adaptation.The Gas Turb software was employed to determine the flow entrance conditions for a combustion chamber applied in a ramjet engine. Subsequently, the Fluent software was used to perform simulations of combustion using a non-premixed liquid phase method. The results indicated that, in this configuration, the induced vortices were not strong enough to stabilize the flame, making using a flame holder essential.Additionally, a parametric study was conducted to investigate the effects of the flame holder's size, number, position, and distance on parameters such as pressure loss, maximum temperature, Mach number, and flame stability. The results demonstrate that a multi-flame holder setup positively impacts performance, while more oversized flame holders are not recommended due to undesirable effects.

Keywords

• ramjet engine
• combustion chamber
• design
• numerical analysis
• flameholder