Open AccessTo test the combustion chambers (CC) of high-speed ramjet engine (ramjet) it is necessary to create the inlet conditions as realistic as possible, including the stagnation temperature T0, the Mach number M0, and the total airflow pressure p0. To achieve T0 = 1000 ... 2000 K is possible using a high-enthalpy airflow generator (HAG) providing the fired air-heating and oxygen balance compensation.
Due to strict weight and size restrictions imposed by the test conditions of the ramjet CC and bench equipment, there is a need to reduce HAG size and weight. For small HAG the relevant tasks are to organize effective workflow and ensure combustion stability, which can be solved directly at the developmental testing stage.
The characteristic criterion of the workflow efficiency in HAG is the completed physicochemical combustion processes of the working fluid components. This is due to the fact that in the testing process a possible after-burning component of the working fluid in the flow path of the ramjet CC has a significant impact on the studied characteristics of the engine, thereby having a detrimental effect on the quality of the experiment.
The examination of the workflow efficiency in HAG showed that the use of hydrogen as a fuel allows us to achieve a high degree of completing the physicochemical processes and reaching the specified conditions at the CC inlet to the ramjet under test. The use of hydrocarbon fuels reduces the completion degree of the workflow process in HAG and is accompanied by the development of pressure pulsations.
The data obtained can be used when developing various HAGs, including those intended for testing the CC of ramjets for the prospective aircrafts.