Combustion characteristics of single-component liquid hydrocarbon in a scramjet combustor

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Abstract

Present paper investigated the combustion characteristics of three kinds of liquid singcomponent hydrocarbon fuels, namely n-decane, n-dodecane and methyl cyclohexane, in a model scramjet combustor. The tests were conducted at the Beihang University’s Scramjet Combustion Facility. High enthalpy clean air was heated to the total temperatures ranging from 800 to 1200K, entering the isolator entrance at a Mach number of 2.03. The inflow mass flow rate is in the range of 2.0-2.3Kg/s. Two series cavities acted as the main flameholders. The fuel was transversely injected into the combustor upstream of the first cavity. A gas pilot flame produced by a dependent gas generator was transversely injected into the combustor from the bottom of the first cavity to aid the ignition. There were three injection configurations with an injector diameter of 0.6mm, 0.5mm, and 0.4mm, respectively. The influence of the injector configuration on the fuel ignition and combustion characteristics was experimentally investigated. The results show that the n-decane cannot be ignited using the injector with a diameter of 0.6mm; most of n-decanes injected through the injector with a diameter of 0.5mm can achieve the stable combustion with the ignition aid, while when the igniter was turned off, the flame was blown off; the n-decane always can be ignited and achieve stable combustion when the diameter of the injector was 0.4mm and the inflow total temperature was larger than 840K. Consequently, a smaller injector diameter resulted in a better ignition and combustion characteristics. Furthermore, when injected using the injector with a diameter of 0.5mm, the methyl cyclohexane was easier to be ignited than the n-dodecane; when injected using the injector with a diameter of 0.4mm, all three fuels can be ignited and no obvious difference was found on the flame stabilization. At the similar inflow conditions, the effect of fuel type on the normalized wall static pressure profiles was investigated. The results show that the methyl cyclohexane achieved the best capability to avoid inlet unstart. The n-decane and n-dodecane had the similar capability of avoiding inlet unstart.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication50th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference 2014
PublisherAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)9781624103032
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014
Event50th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and exhibit 2014 - Cleveland, United States
Duration: 28 Jul 201430 Jul 2014

Publication series

Name50th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference 2014

Conference

Conference50th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and exhibit 2014
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityCleveland
Period28/07/1430/07/14

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