Numerical investigation on implication of strut profile on combustion characteristics in a cavity based scramjet combustor

The present study deals with the implication of a strut profile on the combustion characteristics of a cavity-based scramjet combustor. Three different strut profiles namely, triangular, wedge and diamond-shaped are considered. Moreover, the investigations are carried out to know the interplay of inlet temperature and strut profile on combustion efficiency. Our study reveals that the strut profiles largely affect the flow of physics as indicated by the size of the recirculation region. Further, the strong and multiple reflections of a shock are observed in the case of a diamond-shaped strut. Also, the size of recirculation zone and the penetration height are found to be the largest when the diamond strut is used. Overall, the combustion performance is found to be optimal for diamond-shaped strut among all the configurations of the strut considered. The study on the combined influence of strut profile in conjunction with inlet temperature shows that the combustion efficiency is a strong function of the geometrical configuration of a strut. It is observed that the combustion efficiency is found to increase with the increase in inlet temperature in the case of a diamond strut.