Mixing Control in Supersonic Cavity Combustor by Two Types of Plasma Actuators

Simulations of flow control in the non reactive cavity combustor are performed with incoming flow at Mach 3 and ethylene injected directly into the cavity from the rear wall at Mach 1. Two types of plasma actuators, including directcurrent discharge (DCD) plasma actuator and laser energy deposition (ED) plasma actuator, are modeled and coupled with Navier-Stokes equations as source terms, respectively. The control effect and mechanism of these two actuators for the ethylene jet mixing in the cavity flow are analyzed by comparing the residence time, ethylene jet penetrating height and mixture fraction with the baseline flow. It reveals that the ED actuator is more effective to enhance fuel forward transportation and mixing with the main flow in the shear layer. It is also found that the actuation location is an important parameter for the ethylene jet mixing control.