Mechanism of gliding-arc-assisted combustion in a tandem dual-cavity scramjet combustor

IF 4.6 2区工程技术 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Proceedings of the Combustion Institute Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2026-06-19 DOI:10.1016/j.proci.2026.106018

Zihao Zhang, Shuaijia Shao, Mingbo Sun, Yangyang Ban, Zhan Chen, Tao Tang, Yifu Tian, Fan Zhang, Jianjun Wu, Jiajian Zhu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In the tandem dual-cavity scramjet combustor at the Mach 2.52 inflow condition, a detailed mechanism investigation of the plasma-assisted combustion process is conducted using high-speed flame chemiluminescence, schlieren imaging, and numerical simulations. Experiments show a weak flame state in the single rear cavity at a fuel injector ratio of approximately 3:1. In the presence of the gliding arc plasma, a stronger global flame and a stable state in the dual cavity are achieved. The flame intensity and heat release rate are significantly increased. OpenFOAM coupled with ZDPlasKin is applied in numerical simulations to calculate the detailed three-dimensional plasma-kinetics mechanism of flow combustion and to reveal the combustion mechanism. Under the influence of the gliding-arc plasma, the kernel generates hot bubbles and modifies the flow-field characteristics of the shear layer above and within the front cavity. This facilitates the further transport of the kernel and flame. The kernel flows backward from the bottom of the cavity to the leading-edge corner recirculation zone, where it develops into a global flame connecting the two cavities. At the same time, the high turbulence shear-layer over the rear cavity is thickened and lifted. Detailed chemical reaction kinetics in the plasma region are investigated. The heat release process is dominated by the de-excitation reactions of N₂* and O*, with a contribution rate two orders of magnitude higher than that of typical combustion elementary reaction heat release rates, such as the consumption of CH₂ and OH.

Novelty and significance statement

Through experiments and three-dimensional, detailed chemical-kinetics numerical simulations, this work innovatively investigated the mechanism and detailed chemical kinetics of the gliding-arc plasma-assisted supersonic combustion process in the tandem dual-cavity combustor. The plasma kinetics and main excited-state components contributing to heat release are revealed, along with the elementary reactions involved. The work on simulating 3-D detailed plasma dynamics for the tandem dual-cavity combustor configuration represents the most innovative contribution.

This work guides the design and application of dual-cavity scramjet combustors. By applying gliding-arc plasma, supersonic combustion is enhanced in the weak-flame case. The verified comparison of experimental and computational flow-field characteristics and pressure distributions demonstrates the reliability of using OpenFOAM coupled with ZDPlasKin for three-dimensional simulations of plasma-kinetics reaction flows.

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串联式双腔超燃冲压发动机燃烧室滑翔弧助燃机理研究

采用高速火焰化学发光、纹影成像和数值模拟等方法，在2.52马赫进流条件下，对等离子体辅助燃烧过程进行了详细的机理研究。实验表明，当喷油器喷射比约为3:1时，单个后腔内火焰状态较弱。在滑动电弧等离子体存在的情况下，实现了更强的全局火焰和双腔内的稳定状态。火焰强度和放热速率显著提高。采用OpenFOAM耦合ZDPlasKin进行数值模拟，详细计算了流动燃烧的三维等离子体动力学机理，揭示了燃烧机理。在滑动弧等离子体的作用下，核产生热泡，改变了前腔内和上方剪切层的流场特性。这有利于内核和火焰的进一步运输。内核从空腔底部向后流动到前缘角再循环区，在那里它发展成连接两个空腔的全局火焰。同时，后空腔上方的高湍流剪切层被加厚和抬升。详细研究了等离子体区的化学反应动力学。放热过程以N2*和O*的去激发反应为主，其放热贡献率比典型燃烧基本反应（如CH2和OH的消耗）的放热贡献率高2个数量级。通过实验和三维详细的化学动力学数值模拟，创新性地研究了滑翔弧等离子体辅助超音速燃烧过程在串联双腔燃烧室中的机理和详细化学动力学。揭示了等离子体动力学和促进热释放的主要激发态组分，以及所涉及的基本反应。其中最具创新性的工作是对串联双腔燃烧室构型三维详细等离子体动力学的模拟。该工作对双腔超燃冲压发动机燃烧室的设计和应用具有指导意义。在弱焰情况下，采用滑动电弧等离子体增强超声速燃烧。通过对实验和计算流场特性和压力分布的验证比较，验证了OpenFOAM与ZDPlasKin耦合用于等离子体动力学反应流动三维模拟的可靠性。

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来源期刊

Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 工程技术-工程：化工

CiteScore

7.00

自引率

0.00%

发文量

420

审稿时长

3.0 months

期刊介绍： The Proceedings of the Combustion Institute contains forefront contributions in fundamentals and applications of combustion science. For more than 50 years, the Combustion Institute has served as the peak international society for dissemination of scientific and technical research in the combustion field. In addition to author submissions, the Proceedings of the Combustion Institute includes the Institute''s prestigious invited strategic and topical reviews that represent indispensable resources for emergent research in the field. All papers are subjected to rigorous peer review. Research papers and invited topical reviews; Reaction Kinetics; Soot, PAH, and other large molecules; Diagnostics; Laminar Flames; Turbulent Flames; Heterogeneous Combustion; Spray and Droplet Combustion; Detonations, Explosions & Supersonic Combustion; Fire Research; Stationary Combustion Systems; IC Engine and Gas Turbine Combustion; New Technology Concepts The electronic version of Proceedings of the Combustion Institute contains supplemental material such as reaction mechanisms, illustrating movies, and other data.