Ignition enhancement via radical farming in two-dimensional supersonic combustion

A two-dimensional numerical study has been performed of the ignition processes associated with the concept of radical farming for supersonic combustion. In a preliminary parametric study, a range of freestream conditions attainable in a hypersonic shock tunnel has been investigated, and mapped according to whether or not the behaviour known as radical farming is present - combustion-induced pressure rise in second or subsequent hot pockets rather than the first. One such case has been analysed in detail, having mean conditions across the combustion chamber entrance that would result in extremely long ignition lengths. The branching cycle and heat release reactions in the combustion process become active in the radical farm, and H and OH radicals are produced. Their rate of production slows in the expansion, but does not approach chemical freezing until towards the end of it. When the mixture flows through the shock at the second hot pocket, the presence of radicals enables the branching cycle and three-body recombination heat release reactions to accelerate, and significant pressure rise due to heat release is then able to occur.