Hydrogen/air combustion calculations - The chemical basis of efficiency in hypersonic flows

The combustion of premixed hydrogen and air is investigated under conditions relevant to scramjet propulsion. A comprehensive hydrogen/air kinetics mechanism is used that suffices to model combustion in air, including HO 2 and H 2 O 2 chemistry but excluding carbon compounds. The primary objective is to understand the chemical inefficiencies of combustion in hypersonic flows. In this regard, the chemistry in streamlines within a hypothetical hypersonic combustor is investigated. Computational results based on equilibrium assumptions and finite-rate kinetics are compared