Application study on plasma ignition in aeroengine strut–cavity–injector integrated afterburner

To increase the thrust-weight ratio in next-generation military aeroengines, a new integrated afterburner was designed in this study. The integrated structure of a combined strut–cavity–injector was applied to the afterburner. To improve ignition characteristics in the afterburner, a new method using a plasma jet igniter was developed and optimized for application in the integrated afterburner. The effects of traditional spark igniters and plasma jet igniters on ignition processes and ignition characteristics of afterburners were studied and compared with the proposed design. The experimental results show that the strut–cavity–injector combination can achieve stable combustion, and plasma ignition can improve ignition characteristics. Compared with conventional spark ignition, plasma ignition reduced the ignition delay time by 67 ms. Additionally, the ignition delay time was reduced by increasing the inlet velocity and reducing the excess air coefficient. This investigation provides an effective and feasible method to apply plasma ignition in aeroengine afterburners and has potential engineering applications.