Supersonic Combustion Studies for SCRamjet Engines

Experiments were performed in order to examine the stability of hydrocarbon-fueled flames in cavity flameholders in supersonic airflows. Methane and ethylene were burned in two different cavity configurations having aft walls ramped at 22.5 and 90$^{\circ}$. Air stagnation temperatures were 590 K at Mach 2 and 640 K at Mach 3. Lean blowout limits showed dependence on the air mass flowrates. Visual observations, planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) of nitric oxide (NO), and Schlieren imaging were used to investigate these phenomena. Large differences were noted between cavity floor and cavity ramp injection schemes. Cavity ramp injection provided better performance in most cases. Ethylene pilots have a wider range of stable operation than methane. Fuel flowrates at ignition showed similar trends as lean blowout limits, but higher flowrates were required.