A free radical relay combustion approach to scramjet ignition at a low Mach number

Haoqiang Sheng, Yuan Ji, Xiaobin Huang, Zhengchuang Zhao, Wenbin Hu, Junming Chen and Hong Liu

Energy, 2022, vol. 247, issue C

Abstract: Turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engines, which consist of turbine and scramjet engines, are a key power system for the acceleration, powered horizontal landing, and reuse of hypersonic vehicles. Low Mach number ignition of kerosene-based scramjet fuel is expected to enable the practical application of TBCC engines. However, ignition under these conditions is extremely difficult to achieve. In this study, free radical relay combustion (FRRC), motivated by multi-catalyst relay catalysis, was proposed to solve the problem of scramjet ignition at low Mach numbers. The ignition temperature of modified kerosene was significantly reduced from 620 to 150 °C, and the hydroxyl radicals (OH·) signal value of the modified kerosene at 210 °C was found to be 538 times higher than that of pure kerosene at 680 °C. The FRRC-based ignition of the modified kerosene presented a flat droplet evaporation. This significantly reduced the ignition delay time of the fuel to 3 ms at 220 °C, which was comparable to or better than that of hydrogen. In addition, the FRRC strategy described in this study achieved direct-connect supersonic combustor ignition at an inflow of Ma 1.5. This study provides a reference for the design of scramjet fuel for low Mach number ignition.

Keywords: Low Mach number ignition; Additives; Modified kerosene; Free radicals relay combustion; Turbine-based combined cycle engine; Scramjet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:247:y:2022:i:c:s036054422200442x

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2022.123539

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