Cavity flame-holders for ignition and flame stabilization in scramjets: Anoverview

This paper describes ongoing research efforts in the scramjet community on cavity flame holders, a concept for flame holding and stabilization in supe rsonic combustors. During the last few years, cavities have gained the atte ntion of the scramjet community as a promising flame-holding device, owing to results obtained in Right tests and to feasibility demonstrations in lab oratory-scale supersonic combustors, However, comprehensive studies are nee ded to determine the optimal configuration that will yield the most effecti ve flame-holding capability with minimum losses. The flowfield characterist ics of cavities and research efforts related to cavities employed in low- a nd high-speed flows are summarized. Open questions impacting the effectiven ess of the cavities as flame holders in supersonic combustors are discussed .