Scramjet Powerplants :: Essays Papers

Scramjet Powerplants Higher, further, faster, carry more. These have always been the goals of aircraft designers from the very beginning of aviation history. Even today engineers and researchers attempt to build aircraft that will be able perform better. Throughout the history of aircraft design, the main limiting factor has been the performance of power plants. This is still going on today as we attempt to build engines that allow superior performing aircraft. Scramjet engines offer one potential solution to this problem. By the end of World War II we had the technology to build airframes that would fly higher, go further, faster and carry more, but there were no power plants available to power such aircraft. With the introduction of the jet engine aircraft took an enormous step forward. Although the jet engine offers a multitude of advantages over jet engines, there are still limitations. One of these is that jet engines have a limited operating speed. A speeds much higher than Mach 3 the turbine engines, with rotating blades and other moving parts are unable to stand the stress and pressures associated with high speed flight. Rocket power has been used in some applications. Some of these include experimental aircraft such as the X-15. Rocket power is also used in spacecraft as the main means of propulsion. Rocket powered aircraft must carry a supply of hydrogen and oxygen. The requirement to carry large supplies of fuel severely limits the payload capabilities of the ship. In addition it is cost prohibitive for most operations. Commercial transportation is out of the question. Ramjet engines offer some improvements, but are still speed limited. A ramjet engine works in a similar manner to a turbine engine, but there are no moving parts. Instead of using a compressor section to produce high-density air, the forward speed of the aircraft is used to compress the air. The air is then slowed to subsonic speed through a reverse venturi. Fuel is ignited and creates thrust is a fashion similar to that of a turbine engine. (Ramjet/Scramjet...) Scramjet is the name given to a supersonic compression ramjet. It operates in a similar manner to a ramjet, however the air passing through the engine maintains supersonic speed. The scramjet uses hydrogen fuel, just like a rocket engine, but is does not require an onboard supply of oxygen.