Impact of cavity and ramp configuration on the combustion performance of a strut-based scramjet combustor

Abstract The flow performance of a dual wall-mounted cavity in a strut-injector scramjet combustor in steady reacting flow conditions is computationally analyzed. A baseline configuration corresponding to DLR experiments and two proposed configurations with varying bottom wall cavity depth and fixed top wall ramp is considered. Steady-flow computations are performed using the 2-D Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes method with k-ω SST turbulence closure coupled and single-step reaction chemistry. The calculated flow patterns, density, pressure, and temperature fields are compared with shadowgraph and wall pressure measurements from DLR experiments. The cavity and strut are mounted downstream of the strut to analyze the shock patterns and their interference with the shear layer mixing features. The estimated flow patterns, density, pressure, and temperature fields are compared with shadowgraph and wall pressure measurements from DLR experiments. Incorporating cavity and ramp configuration provides earlier complete combustion compared to the baseline model, with a marginal rise in the total pressure caused by additional shock wave formation that emanates from the corners of the cavity and ramp. The combustion zone widens in the lateral direction as the cavity shifts the shock train downstream of the strut injector owing to intense shock shear layer interactions.