Effect of different strut plus wall injection techniques on the performance of two-strut scramjet combustor

The two-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with the two equation Shear stress transport k-w turbulence model as well as the finite-rate/eddy dissipation reaction model have been employed to numerically simulate the flow field structures in a typical two-strut based scramjet combustor. Here all the computations have been performed by using ANSYS 14-FLUENT code. Additionally, validation has been completed for the single strut scramjet engine by comparing its outcome with the open, experimental data. The computational results show reasonable agreement with the experimental schlieren image, and the velocity, pressure and temperature variation graph available in the open literature. The introduction of two-strut improves the combustion and mixing efficiency of the combustor appreciably when compared with single strut engine. Further, investigations have been carried out on the effect of different strut + wall injector on the combustion as well mixing performance of two-strut scramjet combustor. The obtained results show that the combination of two-strut + wall 1 + wall 2 injectors provide better air-H-2 mixing as they lead to a higher penetration depth out of the other strut + wall injection techniques. Thus the combustion as well as mixing efficiency of two strut + wall 1 + wall 2 injection technique is found to be higher as compared to remaining strut + wall injection techniques but lower than that of the two-strut injection. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.