The two-dimensional coupled implicit RANS equations and three turbulent models have been employed to numerically simulate the nonreacting and reacting flow fields of a typical strut-based scramjet combustor, and the numerical results have been compared with the experimental data. At the same time, three different grid scales have been used to test the grid independence in the numerical simulations, namely the small scale (81,590 nodes), the moderate scale (98,510 nodes) and the large scale (147,470 nodes). The obtained results show that the RNG k-ε model is more suitable to numerically simulate the flow field in the scramjet combustor than the realizable k-ε model and the SST k-ω model, and the numerical results obtained by the moderate and large grid scales show reasonably better agreement with the experimental data. The quasi-diamond wave system is formed in both the nonreacting and reacting flow fields. In the reacting flow field, there are two clear strong shear layers generated between the fuel injection and the supersonic freestream, and at the intersection point between the shear layer and the reflected shock wave, the reaction zone is broader than anywhere else. In the corner formed between the upper surface of the strut and the shear layer, an expansion wave is clearly generated, and another also exists in the symmetrical corner.
