Flame holder

A flame holder is a bluff body mounted in high-velocity combustible flow to create a local region of turbulence and low velocity in which a flame is stabilized.^[1]

Jet engine afterburners and ramjets require a flame holder.^[2]

The simplest design, often used in amateur projects, is the can-type flame holder, which consists of a can covered in small holes. Much more effective is the H-gutter flame holder, which is shaped like a letter H with a curve facing and opposing the flow of air. Even more effective, however, is the V-gutter flame holder, which is shaped like a V with the point in the direction facing the flow of air. Some studies have suggested that adding a small amount of base bleed to a V-gutter helps reduce drag without reducing effectiveness.^[3] The most effective of the flame holders are the step type flame holder and the strut type flame holder.

The first mathematical model of a flame holder was proposed in 1953.^[4]