MAE 5360: Hypersonic Airbreathing Engines

Ramjet Overview

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department

Florida Institute of Technology

D. R. Kirk
 Ramjet Operation
Fuel
injectors

• Ramjet has no moving parts

• Achieves compression of intake air by forward speed of vehicle
• Air entering the intake of a supersonic aircraft is slowed by aerodynamic
diffusion created by the inlet and diffuser to low velocities
• Expansion of hot gases after fuel injection and combustion accelerates
exhaust air to a velocity higher than that at inlet and creates positive thrust
 Key Results: Ideal Ramjet
T U  • Begin with non-dimensional thrust equation, or
 M o  e  1
m o ao  Uo  specific thrust
• Ratio of exit to inlet velocity expressed as ratio
Ue M e RTe Me Te of Mach numbers and static temperatures. Recall
 
Uo M o RTo Mo To that for a Ramjet Me=M0
• Ramjet specific thrust depends on temperature
T  Tt 4  ratio across burner, b

 Mo  1
m o ao  Tt 3 

m f h  m o c p  Tt 4  Tt 3  • Energy balance across burner

• Expression for fuel flow rate for certain
temperature rise of incoming mass flow and fuel
I sp 
T energy, h
m f g
m f • Useful propulsion metrics
TSFC 
T – Specific impulse, thrust specific fuel
TU 0
overall  consumption, and overall efficiency
m f h
 Thrust and TSFC Performance Summary

• Ramjet performance parameters vs. flight Mach number

• Specific thrust has peak value for set T max and Ta
• Specific thrust increases as maximum allowable combustor exit temperature increases
• Specific fuel consumption decreases with increasing flight Mach number
 Thrust per unit Mass and Efficiency Summary

• Ramjet performance parameters vs. flight Mach number

• Specific thrust has peak value for set Tmax and Ta. Peak is around Mach 2.5
• Propulsive, thermal and overall efficiencies increase continually with increasing Flight Mach number
 Ideal Ramjet Performance: QR=48,000 kJ/kg, =1.4, Ta=220K

• Ideal ramjet performance using n-Decane fuel, qualitatively similar to behavior of real ramjets
• Require supersonic flight speed for acceptable specific thrust and reasonably low TSFC
• Highest specific thrust is around flight Mach number of 2.3-2.7 for Tmax of 2,000 K – 4,000 K
• This is an example of a common result that the conditions for minimum fuel consumption (maximum
range) are quite different from those for which the engine size per unit thrust is minimum
 Ideal Ramjet Performance: QR=141,800 kJ/kg, =1.4, Ta=220K

• Ideal ramjet performance using hydrogen fuel, qualitatively similar to behavior of real ramjets
• Require supersonic flight speed for acceptable specific thrust and reasonably low TSFC
• Highest specific thrust is around flight Mach number of 2.3-2.7 for Tmax of 2,000 K – 4,000 K
• This is an example of a common result that the conditions for minimum fuel consumption (maximum
range) are quite different from those for which the engine size per unit thrust is minimum
Non-Ideal Ramjet Performance (d=1.0, b=1.0, n=1.0, Pe=Pa)
Non-Ideal Ramjet Performance (d=0.8, b=0.9, n=0.9, Pe=Pa)
Non-Ideal Ramjet Performance (d=f(M0), b=1.0, n=1.0, Pe=Pa)
d=1-0.1*(M0-1)1.5
Temperature Dependence of Specific Heats
Example:
• Enthalpy often approximated as
h(T)=CpT
• In combustion chemistry, enthalpy
must take into account variable
specific heats, h(T)=Cp(T)T
• If Cp(T) can be fit with quadratic,
solution for flame temperature for
certain classes of problems < 1
and T < 1250 K leads to closed
form solutions
• For higher order fits or > 1
and/or T > 1250 K, iterative
closure schemes are required for
solution of flame temperature

• Also will discuss a definition of

enthalpy that accounts for chemical
bonds
• 1st law concepts defining heat of
reaction, heating values, etc.
 Normal Shock Total Pressure Loss
1 Example: Supersonic
Propulsion System
0.9 • Engine thrust increases
0.8
with higher incoming
total pressure which
0.7 enables higher pressure
increase across
0.6 compressor
M2, P02/P01

0.5 • Modern compressors

desire entrance Mach
0.4 numbers of around 0.5 to
0.8, so flow must be
0.3
decelerated from
0.2
supersonic flight speed
Downstream Mach Number, M2
• Process is accomplished
Total Pressure Ratio, P02/P01
0.1 much more efficiently
0
(less total pressure loss)
1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
by using series of
Upstream Mach Number, M1
multiple oblique shocks,
rather than a single
normal shock wave
• As M1 ↑ p02/p01 ↓ very rapidly
• Total pressure is indicator of how much useful work can be done by a flow
– Higher p0 → more useful work extracted from flow
• Loss of total pressure are measure of efficiency of flow process
 Ramjet Powered Missile

Boeing/MARC CIM-10A BOMARC A Surface-to-Air Missile

Aerojet General LR59-AG-13 liquid rocket; Two Marquardt RJ43-MA-3 ramjets
 HyFly Ramjet Concept

[Link]

• Hypersonic Flight Demonstration Program

• Cruise Flight Mach Number ~ 6
• Range 600 nm (1111 km)
 HyFly Ramjet Concept
[Link]
• HyFly program was initiated in 2002 by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and
U.S. Navy's ONR (Office of Naval Research) to develop and test a demonstrator for a hypersonic Mach
6+ ramjet-powered cruise missile
• Prime contractor for HyFly missile is Boeing, Aerojet builds sustainer engine
• Air-launched from F-15E and accelerated to ramjet ignition speed by solid-propellant rocket booster
• Engine runs on conventional liquid hydrocarbon fuel (JP-10)
– Much easier to handle than cryogenic fuels (LH 2) used on other hypersonic scramjet vehicles
• Sustainer engine of HyFly is a dual-combustion ramjet (DCR) (very complex)
– Two different air inlet systems
• Operate as a "conventional" ramjet with subsonic combustion
• Operate at hypersonic speeds as a scramjet
• First scramjet engine (hybrid or otherwise) to demonstrate operability with LH 2 fuel
 Ramjet Missile Concept
Orbital Sciences GQM-163 Coyote: Ducted rocket/ramjet engine, Flight speed up to Mach 2.8 at seal-level
[Link]

Hercules MK 70 rocket booster

 Russian P-700 Granit Long-range Anti-ship Missile
(SS-N-19 ‘Shipwreck’)

• Launched by two solid-fuel boosters

before sustained flight with ramjet
• Maximum speed believed ~ Mach 2.25
• Range is estimated at 550 to 625 km
• Weight: 7,000 kg, Length: 10 m,
Diameter: 0.85 m
• Altitude up to 65,000 ft
 J58 SR-71 Engine: Ramjet/Turbojet Hybrid Engine

[Link]
Ramjet/Turbojet Hybrid Engine Operating Modes
 Ramjet vs. Scramjet

• Large temp rise associated with deceleration from high speed to M~0.3 for combustion
• Solution for increased flight speed: decelerate to ‘lower’ supersonic speeds in combustor
• Combustion very difficult (flame support) in a high speed flow
• Vehicle cooling requirements become very challenging
X-51 Scramjet
 Interstellar Ramjet: ‘Hydrogen Breathing Engine’
• In this concept, interstellar hydrogen is scooped to provide propellant mass
– Hydrogen is ionized and then collected by an electromagnetic field
• Onset of ramjet operation is at a velocity of about 4% speed of light
• Typically, interstellar ramjets are very large systems
• A ramjet sized for a 45-year manned mission to Alpha Centauri would have a ram
intake 650 km in diameter and weigh 3000 metric tons including payload

[Link]
 Summary
• Ramjet develops no static thrust

• Relies on ‘ram’ compression of air

– Requires high speed flight

• Performance depends on increase in stagnation temperature across burner

(combustor)

• Efficiencies (thermal, propulsive, and overall) increase with increasing flight

Mach number
Homework Assignment 1: Ramjet Analysis