Mixing and Combustion Issues in Hypersonic Air-Breathing Propulsion

Abstract

Hypersonics is defined, herein and conventionally, as flight at Mach numbers of 6 or greater. Historically, hypersonic vehicles have been rocket boosted/propelled with well-known performance limits in terms of specific impulse. Contemporary attempts to increase Rocket Isp include the Air Force Phillips Laboratory High Energy Density Materials Program (primarily creation/storage of metastable states) and anti-matter and fusion approaches (e.g., Froning, 1989). These efforts have possibly exciting payoffs, but as currently envisaged, such payoffs are problematical and will only be available in the long term. In the meantime, exploration and utilization of space, both near earth and within the solar system, as well as, eventually, interstellar, is a continuing national interest. A major key to the effective utilization and exploration of space is an efficient launch system into near earth orbit. While major strides are being made in payload miniaturization, launcher effectiveness and efficiency will remain, for the foreseeable future, a critical issue. There are two obvious approaches to reducing the cost of access to space, an inexpensive (conventional) reusable rocket system specifically designed to reduce the “standing army” and overhead associated with current launch systems and various advanced technology options.KeywordsMach NumberDetonation WaveFuel InjectionAIAA PaperHigh Mach NumberThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.