Air breathing engine concepts to: operate from takeoff to low Earth orbit; provide a high level of specific impulse during air breathing operation; have a high thrust-to-weight ratio; generate a thrust in the range 500 to 1000 kN for the entire propulsion system; have a high thrust per unit of frontal area in the air breathing mode; have a high reliability; allow engine static test and rig test without complex and expensive flight simulation test facilities; and allow a reasonable confidence in performance prediction during the early design phase were assessed. Turborocket without and with inlet air cooler, ramrocket, and tuborocket-ramrocket were considered. The ramrocket is a simple engine. To extend air breathing propulsion beyond Mach 7, supersonic combustion must be evaluated. The use of a rocket for takeoff seems to be penalizing (Isp = 370s) but should be confirmed through a vehicle/engine integration system study. The turborocket-rocket is limited in Mach number below 5 to 6 in the air breathing mode. To extend it, an intake air cooler is necessary but looks very heavy. The turborocket-ramrocket represents a good compromise between ramjet and turborocket (performance/weight). The air breathing mode is limited to Mach 7 as for the ramjet. The extension of this mode is also related to the evaluation of supersonic combustion.
Evaluation of the Advanced Air Breathing Propulsion Concepts, Executive Summary
1987
22 pages
Report
No indication
English