Appraisal Burning Characteristic and Analysis Effect of Cavity in Scramjet

Combustion Chamber

Cong-Truong Dinh1, Quoc-Khanh Pham, Duc-Huy Ta, Quang-Sang Vo

1
Department of Aeronautical and Space Engineering,
2
Department of Mechatronics,
3
Department of Internal Combustion Engine,
Hanoi University of Science and Technology,
1 Dai Co Viet Road, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Tel: (+84)-24-3868-2525. Fax: (+84)-24-3868-4945
*
Corresponding author: Cong-Truong Dinh, truong.dinhcong@hust.edu.vn

Keywords: Combustion chamber, SCAMJET, RANS, Cavity, Shock wave, Thrust.

Abstract. Obviously, the combustion chamber takes an important position in creating thrust force
so the aircraft can move forward. In aerospace engineering, Ultrasonic wave has been focused by
many scientists to apply it in advanced technologies such as missiles or supersonic aircraft. Some
changes have been applied to the combustion chamber of the Scramjet engine which works at
supersonic conditions, to increase its efficiency. In this research, the characteristic of supersonic
airflow has been investigated, as well the comparisons between the standard chamber and
advanced chamber to figured out the effect of a circular hole on pressure and velocity of the fuel
mixture through the Scramjet. The re-evaluation assumes the exactness of numerical models to be
compared with the experimental model. And the design of cavities once again causes a significant
change on the Scramjet engine’s performance.

Introduction
The Scramjet engine is superior to today's aviation vehicles because the combustion occurs at
supersonic speeds inside the combustion chamber. The reaction time of only a few milliseconds and
the limitation of the combustion's length are the two main issues while aiming for the highest
efficiency of the engine. The combustion phenomenon depends heavily on the fuel mix between the
fuel and air flows into the combustion chamber. However, the approach that is used to inject the
stored fuel into the compressed air also plays an important role. The researchers are trying to
achieve the fuel injection at the optimal location for higher performance at supersonic speeds.
Combustor geometry has a huge effect on combustion procedure. Pedro P.B. Araújo et al. [1]
has researched the characteristics of a two-dimensional compressor at transonic velocity (Mach 5-
10) with the fuel is the mixture of air and products of burning hydrocarbon C xHy. This paper has
inspired us in a two-dimensional model but under a simplified conditions – burning process is just
between H2 and O2, Mach numbers inlet is 2.0. Kummitha and Pandey [2] experimented with the
same two-dimensional model but with wavy wall strut. They found that the changes in strut wall
make the mixing progress behavior differently and cause the combustion efficiency has increase
significantly. Gautam Choubey and Pandey [3] Kumitha et al. [4] used different strut designs –
struts number and angles of attack – in the combustor and found that the modified model made a
change in burning efficiency and decreased the ignition delay. Another researches on the cavity
inside combustion chamber have been done by Adela Ben-Yakar and Ronald K.Hanson [5] but with
different dimensions – 3mm depth or F. Xing’s model [6] with a corner plate in different heights.
Mixing efficient also has a big impact on keeping the friction drag low and chamber’s length
short. Two researchers Huang and Zhang [7] have studied explaining two different combustion
modes i.e., ultrasonic, and subsonic using numerical simulation. The DLR combustion chamber
model was selected with a parallel fuel injection system. The kinetic chemistry at the reaction zone
in the Scramjet combustion chamber in dual mode is explained during the mode transition by
Wubingyi Shen [8], Aravind and Kumar [9] or L. Abu-Farah et al. [10] who explained the
combustion behaviors of hydrogen with the help of fuel injectors with improved struts. As the
impact of the geometry is seen on the ultrasonic flow field behaviors and the furnace performance.
Data investigation was performed by selecting the LES model to find out the effect of the
chemokinetic mechanism between hydrogen and air by Bing Liu et al [11]. The non-burn behavior
in a two-dimensional model has investigated by Grubel et al. [12], F. Xing et al. [6], Yu et al. [13]
and Tarun Mathur et al. [14]. Non-burn mode is a progress when fuel mixture is kept cold to review
the behavior of fuel flow in combustion zone caused by changes in geometry and mixing procedure.
As the review of the literature shows that many researchers use only parallel fuel injection
systems or switch horizontal injection systems. Parallel fuel injection or wall-to-wall fuel
transmission has not been elucidated for combustion chamber efficiency. Based on previous
research results as well as experimental results for the Scramjet engine combustion chamber, the
content of the thesis aims to re-evaluate experimental research results by numerical simulation
method. By building geometric parameters, building computational models, entangled models and
setting simulation parameters, the factors affecting the performance such as pressure, temperature,
velocity, hydrogen concentration... are evaluated to bring out the results and find new and optimal
methods to improve the efficiency of the combustion chamber.
The aim of this work is to consider the performance of scramjet engine when the fuel mixture
is kept non-burn or burn and apply a rounded cavity inside combustion chamber. CFD simulation
with k-ε model and a simple H2-O2 burning progress are applied for the faster and more accurate
results achieved.

Numerical Analysis
Description of Geometry
In this work, the research object is a scramjet engine. It is a kind of engine that designed to
operate at very high speed (over Mach 5) and is the next revolution of ramjet engine but combustion
process in combustion chamber happens in ultrasonic mode. A typical scramjet engine has four
main components: ultrasonic compressor, combustion, and ultrasonic exhaust.
 Figure 1: Scramjet's components [15]

The designed model used in this paper is presented above. Combustion chamber inlet is at
40mm deep and 50mm high, with a 100mm-long rectangular section from the inlet and the other
section start with the same cross-sectional area diverging by 3 degrees from the upper wall. The
length of the calculated combustion chamber is 340 mm. The method of fuel injection is parallel
with the help of a symmetrical wedge-shaped strut. The symmetrical wedge strut is 6mm high and
32mm long containing the injectors that guide the combustion fuel. The wedge tip is positioned
77mm from the inlet. The diameter of each fuel injector is 1 mm with 15 consecutive holes (with a
constant distance between the holes of 2.4 mm). In the work, we consider the injector at eighth hoke
with the cross section between the nozzles.

Figure 2: Scramjet's parameters

The effect of circular cavity on combustion performance is also included in this work. The hole
has the radius of 15mm, and is put after the wedge strut, the distance between the hole and left wall
is x (80mm < x < 260mm).

Figure 3: Model with cavity

 Numerical method
The computational model is built on ANSYS 19.1 Fluent software. Details of the selection
models are presented in detail in the following sections. To shorten the cost in terms of time, two-
dimensional model was used for the survey. Reynolds Average Navier Stokes Equation model
(RANS) (particularly k-ε model) was applied in this study. All the equations related to this model
have been written using the three basic dynamical equations, i.e., the continuity equation, the
momentum equation, and the energy equation.
Combustion modelling is used to capture the potential interactions between fuel and air. The
feature transport model with Turbulence-Chemistry Interaction used as Eddy-Dissipation was
chosen to explore the properties of the current field. Fuel mixing efficiency and combustion
efficiency (combustion efficiency) are the two most important factors, a measure to evaluate the
efficiency of the Scramjet combustion chamber. Mixing efficiency is the ratio of the density of fuel
injected in the combustible area A to the total fuel injected. The efficiency of a combustion chamber
with unreactive (non-combustible) flow with the addition of fuel mass is characterized by the
mixing efficiency, defined by the equation:

{
.
1, ϕ<1
∫ α . ρgas . Y H u dA , with α =
2
1 (1)
ηm = A ,ϕ≥1
m˙H ϕ
2

In that: ρgas is the density of the air; Y H₂ is mass ratio of hydrogen with air (Y H =ρ H /ρ gas ¿; u is
2 2

the normal velocity; A is the cross-sectional area and ϕ is the equivalence ratio, defined
ϕ=M O Y H /2 M H Y O with M is the molar mass and Y is the mass of the gas; m˙H is the flow rate of
2 2 2 2 2

the injected hydrogen.

A good fuel mixing efficiency will give good combustion efficiency. Combustion efficiency can be
defined as the ratio of the amount of hydrogen burned to the total gas intake of hydrogen. Combustion is a
fast chemical reaction with a high degree of turbulence. The mathematical equation of fire can be written as
follows:

η comb ( x )=1−
∫ ( A ( x ) ) ρgas .Y H u dA =1− ṁH
2 2, x
(2)
ṁ H 2 ,inj
ṁH 2 ,inj

In that: ṁ H is the mass flow of hydrogen at a given cross-sectional position x; ṁ H

2 ,x 2 ,inj
is the total
mass flow of injected hydrogen.
Analysis of aerodynamic structure, wedge design on Design-Modeler and meshing on ICEM. The
lesson uses a structural grid with a quadrangular grid, finely divided at the edges, cutting points and
fire zones to clearly capture the phenomenon. The configuration of the wedge is isosceles triangle,
so there are not many asymmetrical detail areas, so using a structural grid is both easy for grid
control as well as shortening the time cost while still providing accuracy. accurate for good results.
The total number of meshes of 162.486 meshes and checking the effect of mesh number on
pressure’s stability is acceptable.
 205000 165000

Maximum pressure (Pa)

Selected point
200000
160000

195000
155000
190000
150000
185000
Bottom wall (y=0) 145000
180000
Middle (y=25mm)
175000 140000
20 80 130 162 210 260

Grid number (x103)

Figure 4. Evaluate the effect of the grid number.

Cho xuống phần đầu của result

The detail of boundary conditions are presented in Tab. 1 and Tab. 2 below.

Indicator Air inlet Fuel (Hydrogen)

Mach number 2.0 1.0
Static pressure (Pascal) 100 000 100 000
Static temperature (K) 340 250
Density (kg/m3) 0.9734944 0.09698617
Velocity (m/s) 756.1424 1203.324
Table 1: Boundary conditions

Mass ratio O2 H2O N2 H2

Air 0,232 0,032 0,736 0
Fuel 0 0 0 1
Table 2: Proportion between air and fuel inlet

Results and Discussion

Re-evaluate results
First, the investigation was made with cold and not-burnt fuel (hydrogen) to observe
phenomena, shock waves, and evaluate the parameters of density, pressure, Mach number… before
burning fuel in the combustion chamber.
 Figure 5: Experiment result (a) and simulation of density(b), Mach number(c), pressure (d)

It is clearly that the shock waves generated at the tip of the fuel injector are complex. Extended
fan-shaped regions behind the symmetrical wedge are followed by oblique collision waves and
reflected waves with corresponding deflection amplitudes. The results from simulations are quite
close with experiments about shock waves’ position, structure, and profile.
At x = 142 mm and x = 227 mm, there is a difference between the reflected wave at subsonic
frequencies and the visible supersonic fuel flow. Between x = 137mm and x=142mm, the complex
interaction of the two shock waves generated at the top of the wedge and reflected in the upper and
lower walls with the hydrogen jet resolved in detail. Wave interference or fuel mixing region
appears. In the supersonic flow region at x = 227 mm, the shock waves are not reflected at the
gaseous ejection.
 2.5 2.0
Tính toán 1.8 Tính toán
2.0 1.6 Thực nghiệm

Pressure (Pa*105)
Pressure (Pa *105)

Thực nghiệm 1.4

1.5 1.2
1.0
1.0 0.8
0.6
0.5 0.4
0.2
0.0 0.0
90 140 190 240 290 340 90 140 190 240 290 340

x (mm) x (mm)

a) Bottom wall (y=0mm) b) Middle (y=25mm)

Figure 6. Pressure distribution

In the experiment, the scientists used Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) velocity measurement
- a method of measuring using lasers. Rated as a modern measuring method with high accuracy.
And to compare with experimental results on 4 sections: x=120 mm, x=167 mm, x=199 mm and
x=275 mm, the simulation results are recorded and built on the comparison chart with the
experiment results.
50 50
Tính toán Tính toán
40 40
Thực nghiệm Thực nghiệm
30 30
y (mm)
y (mm)

20 20

10 10

0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 200 400 600 800 1,000
1 00 2 00 00
3 40 50 60 70 80 90 ,00
Velocity (m/s) 1 Velocity (m/s)

a) Axial velocity (x=120 mm) b) Axial velocity (x=167 mm)

50
50
Tính toán
Tính toán
40 40 Thực nghiệm
Thực nghiệm

30 30
y (mm)
y (mm)

20 20

10 10

0 0
200 400 600 800 1,000 600 620 640 660 680 700 720 740 760 780 800
Velocity (m/s) Velocity (m/s)

c) Axial velocity (x=199 mm) d) Axial velocity (x=275 mm)

 Figure 7. Axial velocity

Viết in đậm tên trục hoành trục tung

Now, fuel mixture is set to burn. Hydrogen fuel is injected and burned at Mach = 1 at ambient
temperature. The overall structure and the difference between simulation calculation and
experimental results can be seen in fig. 5 below with flow density and pressure calculation. The
narrowest burning position in the experiment is at x ≈ 184 mm and is equivalent in the calculation at
x ≈ 184 mm.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Figure 8. Experiment result (a) and simulation of density(b), Mach number(c), pressure (d)

45 45
Tính toán Tính toán
Thực nghiệm
35 Thực nghiệm 35
y (mm)

y (mm)

25 25

15 15

5 5
-100 100 300 500 700 900 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
u (m/s) u (m/s)

a) At cross section x=120 mm b) At cross section x=167 mm

 Figure 9. Axial velocity

At x = 120 m and x = 167 m there is a qualitative and quantitative reasonableness between

experimental and calculated data as well. In Fig 10., the temperature between experimental and
calculated is compared.
45 50
Tính toán 45 Tính toán
Thực nghiệm 40 Thực nghiệm
35
35
30

y (mm)
25
y (mm)

25
20
15 15
10
5
5
0 1,000 2,000 3,000
0 0 0 0 00 00 00 00 00 00
20 40 60 80Nhiệt
0 ,2 (K),4 ,6 ,8 ,0
1, độ1 1 1 1 2 Nhiệt độ (K)

a) Temperature at cross secsion x=120 mm b) Temperature at cross secsion x=167 mm

50
Tính toán
45
Thực nghiệm
40
35
y (mm)

30
25
20
15
10
5
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500
Nhiệt độ (K)

c) Temperature at cross secsion x=275 mm

Figure 10. Compare the calculated results with the experimental results

As the simulation results, the simulated fire area ratio is wider than the test condition. There are
several possible explanations for the deviation between calculation and experiment. Possibly the
most important point for flow is the fire pattern. The Eddy-Dissipation combustion model uses a
one-order chemical equation for a one-order reaction. Besides its simplicity and ease of
implementation, it also presents a limitation when it is not possible to capture all the properties or
chemical reactions. Smaller complexity is not mentioned.
Effect of circular cavity on combustion performance
From the results obtained in the appraisal, we can assess the factors affecting the efficiency of
the combustion chamber are relatively accurate compared with the experiment. The simulation and
calculation software has also given good results, so to optimize and improve combustion efficiency,
a physical method is introduced, which is to change the geometric structure of the dynamic
combustion chamber Scramjet engine. In this study, a round hole cavity was drilled behind the fuel
injector, for the purpose of changing the impact wave interaction, improving the fuel mixing
efficiency. A detailed presentation of the research results will be discussed in the following
sections.
Figs 6 and 7 show the mixing and burning efficiency of jet burners with and without a circular hole.
Both was increased immediately by adding the circular hole because of the development of
recirculation zones, adding shock and vortex zones.

100 80

80
60
60
40
%

%
40 Model with
Experiment
hole
20 Standard 20 Model with
model hole
0
60 100 140 180 220 260 0
x (mm) 75 125 175 225 275 325 375
x (mm)

a. Mixing efficiency b. Burning efficiency

Figure 11. Compare the results of the models with the test

Figure 12: Pressure (left) and density (right) distribution between model without hole (a) and model with hole (b)

Figure 8 compares pressure and density distribution in simulation in 2 combustion chamber models.
The model with the round hole has pushed the mixing area closer to the injector, the wave density is
also higher, increasing the fuel mixing efficiency for the engine.

Conclusion
In this work, using the finite volume method to calculate turbulent diffusion flame in pressure-
flow fields has been applied. The use of structural quadrilateral meshes allows for quick
implementation and easy adjustment of the mesh applied to the flow model. The number of meshes
is well divided, the edges and the intersections are finely divided, with good computational ability
based on assumptions with very small grid cells. The simulation program has been applied to the
numerical simulation of the injection of hydrogen fuel into a supersonic air stream in the absence
and with the combustion of hydrogen. Calculations show quite good results qualitatively and
quantitatively with actual experiments. The numerical approach is capable of computing chaotic
diffuse flames in complex geometries, has good advantages, and gives retrievable results. Further
work should be focused on the improvement of the physical model. Regarding the physical model,
it is possible to identify the main aspects that need to be investigated in further studies: the three-
dimensional effect and the fire model.
Effect of circular cavity in Scramjet’s combustion chamber
Calculation and simulation results of the combustion chamber with the natural rotation of the
nozzle by means - Reynolds mean Navier-Stokes, k-entangled model. The scramjet host element of
the scramjet system, measured by the combination of air conditioning and energy burn. From the
structural capabilities of the Structural Scramjet series, it is found that the Scramjet combustion
chamber model with hole has more harmonics, wave, and vortex regions. From all the contours and
graphs, a good effect of the circular hole can be observed on the combustion efficiency. Similar
things were observed for pressure and temperature increases in the vicinity of the cavity and away
from the boundary layer. From all the results and evaluations, it can be concluded that the
performance of the Scramjet combustion chamber with the circular cavity has been increased
compared to the standard Scramjet model without the cavity.
(Giảm xuống 1 nửa)
Acknowledgments

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https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/images/content/142861main_x43a_intscramjet_550.gif.