An investigation into the feasibility of using a solid fuel, dual-combustion mode ramjet (DMRJ) in high Mach number vehicles (i.e., tactical missiles) was conducted to determine the regimes where this propulsion plant might be superior to a conventional solid fuel ramjet (SFRJ). The analysis showed that at Mach 6 and 80,000 feet, with a combustion efficiency of 90 percent, the DMRJ performance can exceed that of the SFRJ by as much as 20 percent at near stoichiometric overall fuel-to-air ratios, neglecting mixing losses in the supersonic combustor. It also appears that the combustion efficiency must be greater than 70 percent in order for the DMRJ to outperform the conventional SFRJ. Chemical kinetics considerations revealed that the dual-mode configuration enables the efficient use of solid hydrocarbon fuels due to the existence of highly reactive species in the supersonic chamber, after the completion of the initial slow reaction stages in the subsonic gas generator. Preliminary laboratory tests demonstrated the operation of such a DMRJ system, including the establishment of sustained combustion in the supersonic chamber.
Investigation of Solid-Fuel, Dual-Mode Combustion Ramjets
1989
17 pages
Report
No indication
English
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