Investigation of Engines for Hypersonic Vehicles

Fundamental theoretical and experimental investigations are carried out in TsAGI with the purpose of development and construction of advanced sustainer engines for vehicles flying at hypersonic cruise speeds. In this area TsAGI can accomplish the following:

• Definition of the concept and selection of the power plant type (including the dual-mode one), its components (air intake, combustion chamber, nozzle) for specified vehicle flight trajectories and performance. Integration of the airframe with the power plant
• Calculations of burning processes in the combustion chambers of air-breathing engines at subsonic (ramjet), supersonic (scramjet) and mixed (dual-mode scramjet) flow velocities
• Selection of the ramjet combustion chamber geometry (cylindrical, rectangular, diffusor), the method of fuel feed and the fuel type used, the engine operation mode to provide required power plant thrust
• Calculations of power plant components’ thermal stresses (air intake, combustion chamber, nozzle).
• Validation of forced cooling, heat protection
• Calculations of airframe components’ thermal stresses. Validation of forced cooling (heat protection)
• Analysis of the effectiveness of applying preliminary fuel preparation (conversion) in the power plant Analysis of the capability of applying endothermic reactions of fuel decomposition to cool thermally-stressed components of the airframe and power plant. Development of cooling systems for structural components using endothermic decomposition reactions
• Development of algorithms and programs of numerical modeling of flows in the power plant duct on the basis of the full Navier-Stokes equations

Complex experimental investigations and optimization of the power plant components and the power plant as a whole for modes maximum approaching full-scale ones. The experimental investigations of model engines and their components are basically carried out in the wind tunnels TPD, CBC-2 and T-131.