Assessing the Potential for Improved Scramjet Performance through Application of Electromagnetic Flow Control

ISBN: 128833513X

Author: Lindsey, Martin Forrester

Condition: New

Sustained hypersonic flight using scramjet propulsion is the key technology bridging the gap between turbojets and the exoatmospheric environment where a rocket is required. Recent efforts have focused on electromagnetic (EM) flow control to mitigate the problems of high thermomechanical loads and low propulsion efficien- cies associated with scramjet propulsion. This research effort is the first flight-scale, three-dimensional computational analysis of a realistic scramjet to determine how EM flow control can improve scramjet performance. Development of a quasi-one dimen- sional design tool culminated in the first open source geometry of an entire scramjet flowpath. This geometry was then tested extensively with the Air Force Research Laboratory's three-dimensional Navier-Stokes and EM coupled computational code.