Investigation of the Flow In Cold Condition at the Exit of a Supersonic Combustor Test Bench

For studies of hypersonic flows and supersonic combustion in ground test facilities, three devices can be used as ram accelerators, shock tunnels and supersonic combustor test benches. These devices can reproduce, on the ground, similar conditions to those in real flight at a certain altitude and speed. In the case of the supersonic combustor test bench (SCTB), it simulates the same flow conditions inside the combustor of a scramjet. The SCTB consists basically of a combustion chamber or vitiated air generator unit, where the air is heated, and a nozzle, where the air is accelerated to the desired test speed. The supersonic combustor to be tested is directly coupled to the nozzle exit of the SCTB. Ultimately, it was necessary to use a transition piece to connect the nozzle to the combustor to be tested, because the nozzle exit has a circular section and the combustor entrance has a rectangular one. This work aims to present the process of characterizing the cold flow along the SCTB of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IEAv) using the schlieren technique. The interference of the transition piece in obtaining the required flow conditions at the exit of the SCTB or the entrance of the combustor was mainly evaluated.