Numerical Study on the Solid Fuel Rocket Scramjet Combustor with Cavity

Abstract

Scramjet based on solid propellant is a good supplement for the power device of future hypersonic vehicles. A new scramjet combustor configuration using solid fuel, namely, the solid fuel rocket scramjet (SFRSCRJ) combustor is proposed. The numerical study was conducted to simulate a flight environment of Mach 6 at a 25 km altitude. Three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations coupled with shear stress transport (SST) k − ω turbulence model are used to analyze the effects of the cavity and its position on the combustor. The feasibility of the SFRSCRJ combustor with cavity is demonstrated based on the validation of the numerical method. Results show that the scramjet combustor configuration with a backward-facing step can resist high pressure generated by the combustion in the supersonic combustor. The total combustion efficiency of the SFRSCRJ combustor mainly depends on the combustion of particles in the fuel-rich gas. A proper combustion organization can promote particle combustion and improve the total combustion efficiency. Among the four configurations considered, the combustion efficiency of the mid-cavity configuration is the highest, up to about 70%. Therefore, the cavity can effectively increase the combustion efficiency of the SFRSCRJ combustor.

Keywords

• solid-fuel rocket scramjet (SFRSCRJ)
• cavity
• supersonic combustion
• combustor performance
• particle combustion