Influence of high temperature non-equilibrium effects on Mach 12 scramjet inlet

To better understand the high temperature non-equilibrium effects of a high Mach number (above Mach 8) scramjet inlet, the thermal and chemical non-equilibrium flow of Mach 12 two-dimensional inlet is numerically analyzed by using the thermochemical non-equilibrium gas model including a two-temperature model and air chemical reactions. The thermal equilibrium flow is simulated by using the models of thermally perfect gas and chemical non-equilibrium gas. It is found that the thermal non-equilibrium effects are relatively strong near the cowl shock and in the outer layer of the boundary layer, and gradually weaken in the downstream zone of the cowl shock. The chemical non-equilibrium effects and thermal equilibrium flows mainly exist in the high-temperature region of the boundary layer. Compared with the chemical non-equilibrium gas, the oxygen dissociation reaction near the lower wall for the thermochemical non-equilibrium gas is weaker in the external compression section; It is stronger due to fully excited vibration energy, in the internal compression section. Compared with the other models, the inlet compression ability for the thermochemical non-equilibrium gas is higher, the coefficient of mass flow and total pressure recovery for it are lower. Hence, the high temperature non-equilibrium effects can not be ignored in the design of the high Mach number scramjet inlet.