Effect of parametric variation of strut layout and position on the performance of a typical two-strut based scramjet combustor

The two equation Shear stress transport k-omega turbulence model and the 2D compressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations along with single-step chemical reaction mechanism have been applied to analyze the effect of strut lip height, staggered strut and the strut position relative to the combustor entrance on the combustion enhancement of a two-strut scramjet combustor. Here all the computational simulations have been carried out using ANSYS 14-FLUENT code. Moreover, validation has been performed for the single strut scramjet engine by comparing its outcome with the open experimental data. The computational results show acceptable similarity with the experimental results available in the open literature. The presence of two struts improves the mixing and combustion efficiency of the combustor appreciably compared to single strut. The current results represent the presence of an optimal lip height of the strut for which the performance of the two-strut combustor notably increases and strong combustion phenomena take place within the combustion region. Again mixing phenomena are not enhanced with the use of staggered strut due to the formation of separation region on both the wall two times during front as well as aft fuel injection. Further combustion phenomena are totally affected by the small relative distance between the entrance of the combustor and strut base. The combustion efficiency is found to be maximum only when overlapping occurs between the intersectional point and the divergence point inside the two-strut combustor. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.