Scaling effects on combustion modes in a single-side expansion kerosene-fueled scramjet combustor

Abstract The combustion modes in two different scramjet combustors with the mass flow rates of 1.8 kg/s and 3.6 kg/s are experimentally investigated to explore the scaling effects on supersonic combustion with a Mach number 2.0 inflow. It is found that the scramjet combustor with a larger scale can broaden the flame rich blowout limit. As the Equivalence Ratio (ER) increases, the combustion in the small-scale combustor maintains in the cavity-stabilized mode, and the flamebase moves downstream along the cavity shear layer; however, the combustion in the large-scale combustor gradually transfers from the cavity-stabilized mode to the jet-wake-stabilized mode. The differences in the cavity residence time, the ignition delay time and the Damkohler number caused by different scales of the scramjet combustor are likely to account for the scaling effects on the combustion modes.