Comparison of Dual-Combustion Ramjet and Scramjet Performances Considering Combustion Efficiency

The performances of a dual-combustion ramjet (DCR) and a scramjet were compared via computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation to provide theoretical guidance for engine selection for a hypersonic vehicle. Kerosene, C12H23, with an equivalence ratio of 0.8, was employed as the fuel, and the reactive flow was modeled using six-species and four-step chemistry. The results show that the DCR has a central combustion mode, which has a smaller temperature gradient and more uniform heat release, resulting in higher combustion efficiency, compared to the near-wall combustion mode of the scramjet. The total pressure recovery coefficient of scramjet is 0.9% lower than that of DCR under the Ma6 condition, but 5.6% higher than that of DCR under the Ma7 condition. The combustion efficiency of DCR is 35.6% and 25.4% higher than that of the scramjet under Ma6 and Ma7 conditions, respectively. The decrease in the combustion efficiency of the DCR is caused by the increase in the dissociation rate of CO2 into CO with the increase in temperature. The performance of DCR is better than that of scramjet under both conditions. However, the performance advantage of DCR decreases as the Mach number increases. Specifically, under the conditions of Ma6 and Ma7, the specific impulse or specific thrust of DCR was 2.67 times and 1.51 times that of scramjet, respectively.

Automated summary

A computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation was conducted to compare the performances of a dual-combustion ramjet (DCR) and a scramjet, providing theoretical guidance for engine selection for a hypersonic vehicle. The DCR exhibited a central combustion mode with higher combustion efficiency compared to the near-wall combustion mode of the scramjet. The performance advantage of the DCR decreased as the Mach number increased.