AU2020100803A4 - Reusable, accelerating, hydrogen fuelled Scramjet with Fixed Geometry and Shape Transition - Google Patents
Reusable, accelerating, hydrogen fuelled Scramjet with Fixed Geometry and Shape Transition Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- AU2020100803A4 AU2020100803A4 AU2020100803A AU2020100803A AU2020100803A4 AU 2020100803 A4 AU2020100803 A4 AU 2020100803A4 AU 2020100803 A AU2020100803 A AU 2020100803A AU 2020100803 A AU2020100803 A AU 2020100803A AU 2020100803 A4 AU2020100803 A4 AU 2020100803A4
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- AU
- Australia
- Prior art keywords
- scramjet
- shape
- mach
- hydrogen fuel
- shape transition
- Prior art date
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- UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Hydrogen Chemical compound [H][H] UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 title claims abstract description 23
- 239000001257 hydrogen Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 23
- 229910052739 hydrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 title claims abstract description 23
- 230000007704 transition Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 16
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 17
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 239000011153 ceramic matrix composite Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 3
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 230000001172 regenerating effect Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 abstract description 8
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 abstract description 8
- 238000002485 combustion reaction Methods 0.000 abstract description 5
- 235000015842 Hesperis Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 2
- 235000012633 Iberis amara Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 2
- 239000003344 environmental pollutant Substances 0.000 abstract description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 abstract description 2
- 231100000719 pollutant Toxicity 0.000 abstract description 2
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 abstract description 2
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008602 contraction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002828 fuel tank Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02K—JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- F02K7/00—Plants in which the working fluid is used in a jet only, i.e. the plants not having a turbine or other engine driving a compressor or a ducted fan; Control thereof
- F02K7/10—Plants in which the working fluid is used in a jet only, i.e. the plants not having a turbine or other engine driving a compressor or a ducted fan; Control thereof characterised by having ram-action compression, i.e. aero-thermo-dynamic-ducts or ram-jet engines
- F02K7/14—Plants in which the working fluid is used in a jet only, i.e. the plants not having a turbine or other engine driving a compressor or a ducted fan; Control thereof characterised by having ram-action compression, i.e. aero-thermo-dynamic-ducts or ram-jet engines with external combustion, e.g. scram-jet engines
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02C—GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- F02C7/00—Features, components parts, details or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart form groups F02C1/00 - F02C6/00; Air intakes for jet-propulsion plants
- F02C7/04—Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
- B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
- B64C30/00—Supersonic type aircraft
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
- B64D—EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
- B64D33/00—Arrangements in aircraft of power plant parts or auxiliaries not otherwise provided for
- B64D33/02—Arrangements in aircraft of power plant parts or auxiliaries not otherwise provided for of combustion air intakes
- B64D2033/0253—Arrangements in aircraft of power plant parts or auxiliaries not otherwise provided for of combustion air intakes specially adapted for particular type of aircraft
- B64D2033/026—Arrangements in aircraft of power plant parts or auxiliaries not otherwise provided for of combustion air intakes specially adapted for particular type of aircraft for supersonic or hypersonic aircraft
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
- B64D—EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
- B64D33/00—Arrangements in aircraft of power plant parts or auxiliaries not otherwise provided for
- B64D33/02—Arrangements in aircraft of power plant parts or auxiliaries not otherwise provided for of combustion air intakes
- B64D2033/0266—Arrangements in aircraft of power plant parts or auxiliaries not otherwise provided for of combustion air intakes specially adapted for particular type of power plants
- B64D2033/0273—Arrangements in aircraft of power plant parts or auxiliaries not otherwise provided for of combustion air intakes specially adapted for particular type of power plants for jet engines
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
- F05D—INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- F05D2220/00—Application
- F05D2220/10—Application in ram-jet engines or ram-jet driven vehicles
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
- F05D—INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- F05D2250/00—Geometry
- F05D2250/70—Shape
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Separation By Low-Temperature Treatments (AREA)
Abstract
Reusable, accelerating, hydrogen fuelled Scramjet with Fixed Geometry and Shape Transition Scramjets are airbreathing engines for hypersonic aircraft. They are an alternative propulsion system to rockets for space launch and long distance high-speed flight. A scramjet consists of an inlet, a combustor and a thrust nozzle. The disclosed scramjet has a fixed, shape transition geometry that when fuelled with hydrogen can operate from Mach 5 to Mach 10. The ability to operate over a large Mach range means that it can accelerate and be used as part of a space launch system. A shape transition is desirable for a scramjet so that both its capture shape and exit shape can be independently specified (to meet geometric requirements of the hypersonic aircraft). Furthermore, the internal shape transition and multiple fuel injection stations of the disclosed scramjet enable robust combustion of hydrogen fuel from Mach 5 to Mach 10. Fixed geometry is desirable in order to simplify manufacture, making the scramjet reliable and inexpensive to produce. When manufactured using high temperature ceramic matrix composites to accommodate the high temperatures and manage thermal expansion, the scramjet can operate for 10 minutes and is reusable. The scramjet uses a liquid hydrogen fuel system to regeneratively cool its combustor. The only exhaust product of the scramjet is water; no C02 or other pollutants are created. Exit Shape Hypersonic Airflow Shape Transition Capture Shape Figure 1: Fixed geometry scramjet with shape transition Inlet Combustor Nozzle (a) hydrogen fuel injection (b) hydrogen fuel injection Figure 2: Scramjet with multiple hydrogen fuel injection stations; (a) view from below; (b) side view.
Description
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
INNOVATION PATENT
REUSABLE, ACCELERATING, HYDROGEN FUELLED SCRAMJET WITH FIXED GEOMETRY AND SHAPE TRANSITION
The following statement is a full description of this invention:
2020100803 29 May 2020
Reusable, accelerating, hydrogen fuelled Scramjet with Fixed Geometry and Shape Transition
Scramjets are airbreathing engines for hypersonic aircraft. They are an alternative propulsion system to rockets for space launch and long distance high-speed flight. Hypersonic means travel at speeds greater than Mach 5 (Mach 1 is the speed of sound in air). A scramjet consists of an inlet, a combustor and a thrust nozzle. The inlet captures the airflow and compresses it to conditions suitable for combustion of fuel. Air entering the combustor is mixed with fuel and burned while maintaining a high velocity. The air and combustion products then pass into the thrust nozzle where they are expanded and accelerated before leaving the engine.
A drawing of the disclosed scramjet is shown in Figure 1. It has a fixed shape that transitions in a controlled manner along its length. It is fuelled with hydrogen from multiple injection stations, and operates successfully to produce high thrust from Mach 5 to Mach 10. The ability to operate over a large hypersonic Mach range means that it can accelerate and be used as part of a space launch system. As shown in Figure 1, the scramjet includes a transition from a capture shape that can be attached smoothly to a hypersonic aircraft, to an internal shape that is designed to promote robust combustion over a large Mach number range. The downstream portion of the scramjet produces thrust and transitions to the exit shape required to mate smoothly with the aircraft.
Shape transition is desirable for a scramjet engine so that both its capture shape and exit shape can be independently specified (to meet geometric requirements of the hypersonic aircraft that it powers). It is critical for scramjet engines to be smoothly integrated with the aircraft (at capture and exit) in order to generate a net thrust. If this is not the case, the internal thrust generated by the scramjet can be negated by external drag generated by the hypersonic flight conditions. Shape transition means that the disclosed scramjet can be installed on multiple airframes. Shape transition also provides a means of controlling the amount of heating experienced by the scramjet structure, and therefore the amount of cooling needed for the engine structure to remain within material limits.
A key feature of the disclosed scramjet is the highly swept leading edges of the capture shape (Figure 1) that enable the engine to be self-starting at high internal contraction levels. Self-starting means that supersonic flow will be established through the scramjet at the applicable hypersonic flight conditions. If supersonic flow is not established, then the scramjet engine cannot produce positive thrust. The disclosed scramjet can self-start at all hypersonic Mach numbers of 5 and above.
Another feature of the disclosed scramjet is the use of multiple fuel injection stations for the hydrogen fuel. As the conditions and velocity of the air entering the engine change as it accelerates to higher Mach number, hydrogen fuel is injected from different positions along the length of the engine. Figure 2 shows two views view of the disclosed scramjet, with hydrogen fuel injection stations indicated in Figure 2(b). It is the adjustment of fuelling position for different flight conditions that enables the scramjet engine to operate with fixed geometry over a wide Mach number range. It is noted that the only product of hydrogen combustion with air is water, so the disclosed scramjet is 'green' and produces no CO2 or other pollutants.
The disclosed scramjet makes use of the hydrogen fuel for cooling of the combustor. Hydrogen is most efficiently stored in aircraft as a cryogenic liquid, but it must be injected into the scramjet engine as a gas. The energy needed to convert the liquid hydrogen in the fuel tank to gas is supplied by heat from the scramjet combustor. This energy is supplied back into the engine as hotter fuel. No energy is wasted in this process and it is known as regenerative cooling. Figure 3 shows a schematic of the
2020100803 29 May 2020 liquid hydrogen fuel system for the disclosed scramjet. The system uses regenerative cooling from the scramjet combustor to turn hydrogen from a liquid to a gas in preparation for injection into the scramjet.
Fixed geometry means that the scramjet engine does not include any moving parts. This is desirable in order to simplify manufacture; making the scramjet reliable and inexpensive to produce. Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC's) are composite materials that have low weight, can accommodate very high temperatures (up to 1600°C) and have very low thermal expansion (compared to metals). The design of the disclosed scramjet is such that when it is manufactured using CMC's, and uses the aforementioned liquid hydrogen regenerative cooling system, the temperature of scramjet structure can be maintained below 1500°C for up to 10 minutes of operation. The disclosed scramjet engine is then fully reusable.
Claims (5)
- The claims defining the invention are as follows:A scramjet is an airbreathing engine that operates at hypersonic Mach number. The scramjet in this patent has the following characteristics:1. The scramjet accelerates from Mach 5 to Mach 10 with fixed geometry and hydrogen fuel; fixed geometry means there are no moving parts in the scramjet engine.
- 2. The scramjet geometry transitions from a defined capture shape to a defined exit shape; it can therefore be installed on multiple airframes.
- 3. The scramjet is self-starting at a Mach number of 5 and above.
- 4. The scramjet has a regenerative cooling system for its combustor region that uses liquid hydrogen fuel.
- 5. When manufactured using high temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites, the scramjet operates for 10 minutes while maintaining a structural temperature below 1500°C. The scramjet is then fully reusable.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU2020100803A AU2020100803A4 (en) | 2020-05-21 | 2020-05-21 | Reusable, accelerating, hydrogen fuelled Scramjet with Fixed Geometry and Shape Transition |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU2020100803A AU2020100803A4 (en) | 2020-05-21 | 2020-05-21 | Reusable, accelerating, hydrogen fuelled Scramjet with Fixed Geometry and Shape Transition |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| AU2020100803A4 true AU2020100803A4 (en) | 2020-06-25 |
Family
ID=71104091
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU2020100803A Active AU2020100803A4 (en) | 2020-05-21 | 2020-05-21 | Reusable, accelerating, hydrogen fuelled Scramjet with Fixed Geometry and Shape Transition |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU2020100803A4 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN112377323A (en) * | 2020-10-27 | 2021-02-19 | 中国空气动力研究与发展中心 | Combustion drag reduction method and device applied to reducing scramjet engine |
| CN113756986A (en) * | 2021-09-14 | 2021-12-07 | 中南大学 | Multi-mode cross-domain combined power system |
| US20220074369A1 (en) * | 2020-09-08 | 2022-03-10 | Hypersonix IP Holdings, Inc. | Airframe integrated scramjet with fixed geometry and shape transition for hypersonic operation over a large mach number range |
-
2020
- 2020-05-21 AU AU2020100803A patent/AU2020100803A4/en active Active
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20220074369A1 (en) * | 2020-09-08 | 2022-03-10 | Hypersonix IP Holdings, Inc. | Airframe integrated scramjet with fixed geometry and shape transition for hypersonic operation over a large mach number range |
| US11639700B2 (en) * | 2020-09-08 | 2023-05-02 | Hypersonix IP Holdings, Inc. | Airframe integrated scramjet with fixed geometry and shape transition for hypersonic operation over a large Mach number range |
| CN112377323A (en) * | 2020-10-27 | 2021-02-19 | 中国空气动力研究与发展中心 | Combustion drag reduction method and device applied to reducing scramjet engine |
| CN113756986A (en) * | 2021-09-14 | 2021-12-07 | 中南大学 | Multi-mode cross-domain combined power system |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FGI | Letters patent sealed or granted (innovation patent) | ||
| MK22 | Patent ceased section 143a(d), or expired - non payment of renewal fee or expiry | ||
| NA | Applications received for extensions of time, section 223 |
Free format text: AN APPLICATION TO EXTEND THE TIME FROM 21 MAY 2022 TO 21 FEB 2023 IN WHICH TO PAY A RENEWAL FEE HAS BEEN FILED |
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| NB | Applications allowed - extensions of time section 223(2) |
Free format text: THE TIME IN WHICH TO PAY A RENEWAL FEE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 21 FEB 2023 |