Performance of Pylons Upstream of a Cavity-Based Flameholder in Non-Reacting Supersonic Flow (POSTPRINT)

Abstract : Cavity-based fuel injection and flame holding, typically found in hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet applications, are of current interest for use in supersonic combustors. The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFlT) are investigating the enhancement of fuel-air mixing with small pylons that project into the supersonic flow upstream of a flame holder. The pylons were of three sizes and were shaped as a thin triangular wedge with a 300 inclination angle. Four configurations (pylons plus baseline) were tested at two different fuel injection pressures in a Mach continuous flow wind tunnel housed at AFRL. The goal was to measure the mixing efficiency and shock loss of each pylon setup for comparison to the baseline condition of transverse injection without pylons. Intrusive and non intrusive techniques were used to obtain pitot pressure, total temperature, cone-static pressure, and laser induced Raman spectroscopy to determine species concentration over the cavity downstream of the injection port. Results showed that pylons increase fuel penetration, while not adding significantly to shock losses or overall mixing.