Scramjet engine

Kopchenov, V. I., and K. Lomkov. 1992. The enhancement of the mixing and combustion processes applied to scramjet-engine. AIAA Paper No. 92-3428. 

The aviation company Aerospatiale in France has tested for several seconds the operation of a slush hydrogen fueled scramjet engine. Ignition in the combustion chamber called statoreactor (there are no moving parts) is to provide the thrust to reach Mach 6 speed [103]. 

I 1.2.13. Energy Efficiency of Plasma-Assisted Combustion in Ram/Scramjet Engines... 

Figure 30.5 Comparison of specific impulse and flight Mach number for hydrogen (1) and hydrocarbons (2). PDE performance estimated using ASI Performance deck turbojet, ramjet, and scramjet performance levels reflect well-designed systems for man-rated thrust classes. TJ — turbojets RJ — ramjets SJ — scramjets PDE — pulse detonation engines PIL — preignition hmit [12]...

Combustion instability that leads to performance deterioration and excessive mechanical loads, which could result in reduced life and premature failure, is an important issue with modern gas turbine engines and ramjet and scramjet combustors. Various techniques of passive and active control to reduce combustion instabilities and improve performance are addressed. Since extensive, promising research is being carried out to develop sensors and actuators, these techniques can be used in practical combustors in the near future. The topics covered in Section 3 provide the required chemical, kinetic, and fluid dynamic understanding to help the designer who is involved in active feedback control for combustion systems. 

NASP was to be used as an experimental vehicle to test high-risk technologies for Reagan s Strategic Defense Initiative, but also to ferry men and equipment to future space stations more economically than could be done with the Space Shuttle. It would take off like a conventional airplane. Hydrogen-fueled, air-breathing scramjet (supersonic combustion ram jet) engines would push it at speeds of up to Mach 25 to the almost-vac-uum of near space, where rocket power would provide the final push needed to reach a space station. 

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