Effect of non-uniform incoming flow on the mixing enhancement in a scramjet cavity combustor.

Mixing in the combustion chamber is influenced by the velocity distribution of the inlet airflow. Numerical simulations are carried out by using the 3D coupled implicit Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and the SST k-ω turbulence model. This article compares the flow field characteristics of non-uniform flows with uniform flows. The results show that the penetration depth increases by 22% in the case of a decreasing velocity distribution along the longitudinal direction compared to the increasing velocity condition. The difference in total pressure loss compared to uniform flow is greater than 4%. The mixing coefficient in the cavity is only 81% of uniform flow. The two-hole jet flow approach is able to rapidly reach 90%. The study shows that the non-uniform inlet has a considerable impact on fuel mixing. The high velocity region near the jet hole contributes to the mixing performance of the engine combustion chamber. • A numerical study of the mixing mechanism in supersonic non-uniform flow. • The effects of different flow on the mixing characteristics. • The high-speed region is distributed near the jet is helpful for mixing. • The high velocity flow close to the jet causes the local flow to lift much higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]