The flame temperature of combustion in a turbofan engine, like in other types of aircraft engines, refers to the temperature reached during the combustion of fuel in the engine’s combustion chamber. The flame temperature is a critical parameter influencing the engine’s efficiency, performance, and emissions. The actual flame temperature in real-world conditions may differ from the adiabatic flame temperature due to heat losses, mixing effects, and other factors. The formula assumes adiabatic conditions, which may not hold true in all combustion processes.
The adiabatic flame temperature Tadiabatic is an estimate of the maximum temperature achieved during combustion when no heat is lost to the surroundings. The formula for adiabatic flame temperature is:
Where:
- Tadiabatic: Adiabatic flame temperature (in Kelvin).
- : Inlet air temperature (in Kelvin).
- : Fuel temperature (in Kelvin).
- : Specific heat at constant pressure (in J/(kg·K)).
- : Ratio of specific heats ().
- : Specific gas constant (in J/(kg·K)).