Comparison of computation and measurements in a supersonic cavity combustor

Abstract

Computations are presented for supersonic combustion in a cavity combustor at a flight Mach number of 11.4 and an altitude of 29 km. The effects of reaction mechanism choice and the presence of radical species in the facility nozzle flow on the computations are presented, showing that including nitric oxide reactions in the reaction mechanism increases the peak temperature and pressure in the flowfield, but increases the ignition delay time. The computations are compared to floor static pressure measurements and to planar laser-induced fluorescence visualisations of the hydroxyl radical. Generally good agreement is achieved with the location of the hydroxyl radical in the combustor, but the static pressure is over-predicted by between 15 and 20 percent. Show more