Role of cavity in a Mach 8 axisymmetric scramjet combustor: Flame stabilization vs combustion enhancement

The cavity-assisted scramjet has been proven to be the most promising propulsion system for air-breathing hypersonic vehicles. In this paper, numerical simulations of a Mach 8 axisymmetric scramjet combustor are conducted and validated to investigate the effect of the cavity. The results indicate that the combustion state undergoes significant changes as the combustion heat release increases. Detailed analysis reveals that the role of the cavity in flame stabilization and combustion enhancement also changes with combustion heat release. Under weak heat release conditions, the high-speed environment results in reduced combustion efficiency, and the primary role of the cavity is to stabilize the flame. Increasing the cavity size does not yield significant gains but could bring redundant mass. As heat release intensifies, the combustion enhancement effect of the cavity becomes more prominent. The presence of the cavity dramatically improves fuel combustion efficiency. The distribution of supersonic and subsonic combustion modes, as well as that of premixed and diffusion combustion modes, is also affected by cavity size and combustion heat release. In the engineering development of scramjets, it is suggested that the design of the cavity flameholder should involve careful consideration of combustion heat release.