LAUSR

Abstract For long duration hypersonic flight vehicles, research on high speed air-breathing propulsion systems has been progressing across the world for the past few decades. Ramjets/Scramjets fueled with hydrogen/liquid hydrocarbon fuels are the propulsion systems considered for different regimes of flight envelope. Dual Combustion Ramjet (DCR) engine is a prospective candidate for one of such kind of applications, where the engine is expected to work for a wider range of flight Mach number regime. It has a fuel rich subsonic dump combustor and a supersonic combustor, which work in tandem. In the present work, extensive experimental and analytical work has been carried out to develop a fuel rich gas generator often called as dump combustor suitable for operation from 20 to 28 km altitude and in the range of 4–6 flight Mach number. Connect pipe mode testing has been carried out by varying the throat area of dump combustor for Mach 4 conditions. Tests have been carried out with Jet-A fuel at different equivalence ratio and with fuel injection in different combination and stages. Fuel injection scheme used here is of shower head type in intake arm and a single simplex swirler with film cooling holes in the dump combustor. Study has been also carried out by varying the location of swirler along the combustor length. Combustor air entry conditions are simulated using H2–O2 based air heater and a test bed nozzle. An exhaustive amount of tests have been carried out to establish condition suitable for consistent ignition & sustained combustion in this highly fuel rich condition. A One dimensional (1D) mathematical model with NASA CEA interface has been developed to predict & compare the test performance. Sustained ignition is achieved for fuel flow rate of 0.8 kg/s and at an equivalence ratio of 0.8–0.9.