Development and Validation of Hypersonic Engine Inlet Design Code

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume V, Issue IX, September 2018 | ISSN 2321–2705

Development and Validation of Hypersonic Engine Inlet Design Code

Phyo Wai Thaw^#1, Zin Win Thu^#2

^#Department of Propulsion and Flight Vehicles, Myanmar Aerospace Engineering University, Meiktila, Mandalay Region, Myanmar

Abstract – This paper describes the numerical investigation of scramjet inlet and validation through computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The scramjet inlet design (SID) program was also developed and used to design a new scramjet inlet geometry which satisfies shock-on-lip (SOL) condition at Mach 3. This inlet design was further tested by means of CFD and the inviscid data showed that it meets SOL condition and reached the required pressure at the isolator exit to get good burning.

Keywords – Scramjet, Oblique Shock, Validation, SID, SOL

I. INTRODUCTION

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, many major scramjet development programs were started due to hypersonic air-breathing engines give a more efficient than rockets [1]. By historical data, the first scramjet demonstration took place in 1960 by Ferri et al [2]. The first successful flight test was the HyShot program by University of Queensland in Australia in July 2002 [3]. X-43A set the Guinness World Record for a jet-powered aircraft with a Mach number of 9.6 in November, 2004 [4].

Compared to rockets, the scramjets have much higher specific impulse and do not require an onboard oxidizer, resulting in lower allowable payload weight [1]. The most suitable air-breathing engine cycle for hypersonic flight is the supersonic combustion ramjet, or scramjet. Although the scramjets have many advantages in hypersonic flight, the scramjets do not work and only rockets will do if the mission includes operation beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.

A scramjet is a variant of a ramjet which has no moving parts but shock wave is taken for compression. The ramjet is slowed a supersonic airstream to the subsonic speed before entering the combustor whereas a scramjet decelerates the free stream to supersonic flow throughout the entire engine due to lack of normal shock [5].

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