Numerical Study on the Effect of Channel Configuration on Mixture Formation of an Axial Flow Wave Rotor Combustor

Abstract

Wave rotor combustor technology is a new technical means to improve the thermal efficiency of aero-engine by using unsteady flow and constant volume combustion. In this article, the influence of wave rotor combustor channel structure on the mixture formation in the channel was studied by numerical simulation. The results showed that the internal flow field structure and change of any structure channel are similar. Flow separation will occur in all channels, and wake regions will be formed in the channels. The turbulence kinetic energy in the wake region was increased, and the velocity and pressure were decreased, resulting in the vortex in the channel. When the channel width was reduced to half of the original design, the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the mixture was reduced by at least 54.92% compared to the original design, and the global fuel mass fraction in the channel was increased by at least 27.32%. In addition, the fluctuation of discharge pressure was also reduced. The reduction of the channel height does not lead to a significant improvement in the aforementioned results. This study can provide guidance for the structural design of wave rotor combustor channel.