Abstract An analysis model was developed to better understand the formation mechanism and variation law of the thermal throat in a rocket-based combined-cycle (RBCC) combustor. This analysis model is based on one-dimensional flow equations and consideration of the variation in factors such as the area, exothermic distribution, and the fuel-rich jet of the rocket. The influence law for the thermal throat under the interaction of the exothermic distribution and the variation of the area is consistent with the heat release models for a gaseous jet and liquid kerosene. The effective cross-sectional area of the jet was calculated and incorporated into the model. The results calculated using the one-dimensional model were found to be consistent with those obtained from a three-dimensional numerical simulation. The position of the thermal throat was predicted with an error of 0.36%. The maximum relative errors of the static pressure among the corresponding points were 7.4% and 9.3% for the static temperature and total pressure, respectively. The one-dimensional model and three-dimensional numerical simulation were validated using experimental data obtained in direct-connect testing. Except for the cavity region, the maximum relative error of the corresponding points between the simulation results and test results was less than 8.9%, and that between the model results and test results was 10.4%. Compared to the fuel equivalence ratio, the expansion ratio, injection location, and exothermic rate have a significant impact on the position of the thermal throat. An optimization study of the RBCC combustor for the ramjet mode was conducted by adjusting the thermal throat. The thrust performance improved by 31.6% at Ma3 after optimization. These results indicate the important role that the one-dimensional model can play in analyzing the thermal throat and guiding the preliminary design of an RBCC combustor.

Highlights • The exothermic models of gaseous rocket jet and liquid kerosene have been considered respectively. • The effective cross-sectional area of rocket jet has been calculated and added in one-dimensional model. • One-dimensional model has been validated by three-dimensional numerical simulation and experimental data. • The combustor performance has been optimized from the perspective of thermal throat adjustment.