Abstract: An essential problem in the succesfull development of a Single Stage To Orbit (SSTO) vehicle is the design of an integrated propulsion system that can efficiently cover the entire range of flight speeds. Conventional designs require heavy turbo-machinery below Mach 3, at which point a ramjet mode becomes possible. At higher speeds, the combustion can be supersonic (scramjet), until rocket propulsion takes over. For higher performance, it is desirable to delay as much as possible the onset of rocket propulsion, in order to minimize the required amount of oxydizer at take-off. Unfortunately, the scramjet suffers from low mixing and combustion efficiency at high speeds, due to compressible effects in the mixing layers and short residence times compared to the ignition delay. The Pulsed Detonation Engine (PDE) [1–4] is a concept that involves few or no moving parts, and is potentially very compact and lightweight. It is therefore an attractive option as the engine component for the low-speed regime of an SSTO. We propose to couple it with a scramjet engine, such that the pulsed detonation waves are used to stimulate the mixing and combustion in the scramjet, and increase its performance. This hybrid engine, the Pulsed Detonation Wave Augmentor (PDWA), has a potential benefit that is greater than the sum of its parts. It may also be possible to operate it in a rocket mode [4]. The PDWA could then be a truely integrated hypersonic engine, capable of covering all flight regimes.
Publication Year: 1997
Publication Date: 1997-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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