Furkan GÖÇER

2307650

Middle East Technical University – Mechanical Engineering Department

ME438 – Theory of Combustion
Fall 2020 – Week 8 Homework

In this homework, we are asked to study on the Xiaopeng Li, Xuejun Fan, Characteristic
Scales in Supersonic Combustion paper. We are asked to identify the peculiarities of the
supersonic combustion regimes based on the characteristics of turbulent premixed flames.
Then we will discuss the conclusions of the paper.

In the paper, researchers investigate the supersonic combustion of different fuels namely,
hydrogen, ethylene and kerosene in the combustion chamber of a scramjet. Combustion
regimes are defined based on the Damkohler Number and the Turbulent Reynolds Number.
Damkohler Number is defined as the ratio of the turbulence time scale to the chemical time
scale, whereas the Reynolds Number is defined based on the eddy turnover velocity and the
integral turbulence scale.

The other important parameters used to define the supersonic combustion regimes are the
Kolmogorov length scale which defines small eddies, Taylor length scale which defines
medium eddies and the laminar flame thickness. Following regimes are defined in the paper:
 Regime A
 Regime B1
 Regime B2
 Regime C

Peculiarities of the supersonic combustion regimes

Regime A: Reaction sheets regime. In this regime, all turbulence length scales including the
Kolmogorov scale are larger than the chemical length scale. In this regime, turbulent eddies
cannot enter the reaction zone but they can enter the preheat zone. Damkohler Number is
greater than 1, therefore flames are characterized by fast chemistry. Regime A takes place at
elevated combustion inlet temperatures and elevated pressures. At this regime, the smallest
eddies play the key roles in improving the mixing and combustion and in resulting in fast
chemistry.

Regime B: Flamelet in eddies. Regime B is the region between two lines with the following
equations:
 Line 1  Kolmogorov Length Scale = Laminar flame thickness
 Line 2  Integral turbulence scale = Laminar flame thickness
In this region, the reaction zone may be wrapped around the large eddies, the smallest eddies
can enter into the flame and disturb the flame structure. Hence, the turbulence chemistry
interactions are limited in this regime. The region is further analysed in two zones, B1 and B2.
Regime B1 is defined as the region between the two following lines:

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 Line 1  Kolmogorov Length Scale = Laminar flame thickness

 Line 3  Damkohler Number =1
Whereas, region B2 is defined as the region between the two following lines:
 Line 2  Integral turbulence scale = Laminar flame thickness
 Line 3  Damkohler number =1

Regime B1: Broken flamelet regime. In this regime, Damkohler Number is greater than 1,
therefore the flames are characterized by fast chemistry. Relative to regime B2, this regime
takes place at elevated inflow temperatures and pressures. In this regime, both the medium-
scale eddies and the smallest eddies affect the laminar flame thickness. However, the effects
of the medium-scale eddies on the combustion rate are more significant.

Regime B2: In this regime, Damkohler Number is less than 1, therefore the region
corresponds to “well-stirred reactors” where all turbulent scales are smaller than the chemical
time scale. Relative to regime B1(all the other properties are fixed), this regime takes place at
elevated inflow Mach numbers. In this regime, medium scale eddies dominate the laminar
flame thickness and the combustion rates, resulting in slow chemistry.

Regime C: Distributed reactions. In this region, the turbulent eddies can penetrate both the
preheat zone and the reaction zone. Therefore, the turbulence chemistry interactions are
dominant and the laminar flame structure is completely lost. In this regime, Damkohler
Number is less than 1, therefore the region corresponds to “well-stirred reactors” where all
turbulent scales are smaller than the chemical time scale. Relative to the other regimes (all the
other properties are fixed), this regime takes place at higher inflow Mach numbers. In this
regime, medium scale eddies entirely control the combustion and the chemical reaction rate is
further reduced, results in slow chemistry.

Discussion on conclusions of the paper

In the paper, the researchers have reached to four main conclusions.

1-) In the supersonic combustion, Kolmogorov Scale = Laminar flame thickness line shifts
downward because of baroclinic effects and the compressibility, which enlarged the area of
the reaction sheets regime. The laminar flame thickness shifted downward because, at high
Mach numbers, the flow is compressible, which increased the area of Regime A.

2) The flamelet in eddies regime played the main role in the combustion of a scramjet under
the practical flight conditions. The static temperature, static pressure, the Mach number, and
the equivalence ratio at the combustion chamber entrance did have an important influence on
the characteristic length scales. Wherein, the Da increased with the static pressure linearly.

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3) The scramjet’s operating range for hydrogen, ethylene and kerosene decreased successively
and Da varied broadly in the order of magnitude, in which the Taylor micro-scale played an
important part.

4) It was reasonable to employ the flamelet models in the simulation of the supersonic
combustion for hydrogen/air under certain conditions, while it was almost completely unable
to use the flamelet models when taking ethylene and kerosene as fuels. According to the
conclusions, it is reasonable to employ the flamelet models in the simulation of the supersonic
combustion for hydrogen/air under conditions which: High Mach Number conditions,
Recirculation zones of the combustor.

For hydrogen, the operating range covers Regime A, Regime B1 and the Regime B2. The
scramjet operating range for hydrogen is very large. Compared to the other two fuels,
hydrogen allows the supersonic combustion to occur at lower inflow Mach Numbers and
higher inflow temperatures.

For ethylene and kerosene, the operating ranges are much smaller and they do not allow the
supersonic combustion at lower inflow Mach Numbers as their range does not cover regime A
at all.

According to the paper, the most probable regime for supersonic combustion is the broken
flamelet regime i.e. Regime B1. The broadness and limits of the operating range of the
scramjet differ with different fuels but most of the operating range is at the broken flamelet
regime for all three fuels. This means that for different fuels in the scramjet, most of the time,
supersonic combustion occurs in the B1 regime. Therefore, the combustion rate is mostly
affected by the medium scale eddies and the flames are characterized by fast chemistry.