Experimental study on the combustion process of a kerosene-fueled scramjet with strut injection

The ground combustion test was used to study the effects of kerosene fuel on the start-up ignition and flame stabilization of a scramjet with reverse strut injection. The test analyzed the changes of flow field wave system and flame propagation law under various working conditions after pilot hydrogen was injected into the combustor. The results showed that when hydrogen was injected into the combustor, it started to combust in only 0.0128 s. The heat released by combustion led to the generation of reverse pressure gradient, which made the wave system move forward and concentrate near the backward step. In the case of hydrogen self-ignition, the entire flow field remained stable combustion. At t = 0.07 s, kerosene was gradually injected into scramjet and ignited by pilot flame. The pressure at the monitoring point increased rapidly from 0.064 MPa to 0.135 MPa, and severe combustion occurred in the cavity. The flame began to propagate from the shear layer to the low-speed recirculation zone. Subsequently, the pressure of the monitoring point was reduced to 0.121 MPa, and the combustion flame continuously passed from the cavity downstream. When the hydrogen was removed, the pressure was reduced to 0.09 MPa, and the flame in the cavity was relatively weakened. However, the rapid ignition condition of kerosene could still be achieved, and the combustion flame continued to generate. After fuel began to be gradually removed, kerosene could not maintain continuous flame combustion due to the reduction of injection volume. The combustor changed between ignition and flameout, showing periodic oscillation with a period of 4.8 ms.