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JAXA Commissioning of Scramjet Combustor Flight Experiment (Forwarded)
Public Affairs Department
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Marunouchi Kitaguchi Building, 1-6-5, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8260 Japan TEL: +81-3-6266-6400 March 20, 2006 Commissioning of Scramjet Combustor Flight Experiment The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has undertaken research into scramjet engines, which are one of the leading candidates for next-generation space transportation propulsion systems, since 1987. JAXA has developed a proprietary scramjet combustor and has commissioned Australia's University of Queensland to perform a flight experiment with the combustor on 28 March 2006 (until 31 March 2006, if required). The aim of the experiment is to obtain experimental data in a real flight environment for a scramjet combustor with an advanced fuel injector (hypermixer injector to generate streamwise vortices) developed by JAXA. The data will be compared with the results of ground tests performed in the HIEST high-enthalpy shock tunnel facility. The scramjet combustor is mounted on the front of a small sounding rocket and accelerated to a speed close to Mach 8 for the experiment. During the experiment, which will last approximately six seconds, internal pressure data for the combustor is recorded. This flight experiment will benefit the development of future space transportation systems as outlined in JAXA's long-term vision and provide a valuable contribution to ongoing aerospace vehicle development. Experiment Contractor: The University of Queensland, Australia Experiment Location: Woomera Test Range, Australia Experiment Date: 28 March 2006 (until 31 March 2006, if required) Experiment Lead: The University of Queensland, Australia Department in charge at JAXA: Combined Propulsion Research Group, Institute of Aerospace Technology (IAT) SUPPORTING INFORMATION Figure 1: Scramjet combustor installed in rocket nose http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2006/03/200...t_e.html#pic01 Figure 2: Rocket launch and flight sequence http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2006/03/200...t_e.html#pic02 [NOTE: Additional images are available at http://www.uq.edu.au/news/press/press-gallery.php Video footage of the liftoff are available at http://www.omc.uq.edu.au/video/hyshot/hyshot4.mov http://www.omc.uq.edu.au/video/hyshot/liftoff.mov http://www.omc.uq.edu.au/video/hyshot/HyShot3.mov GLOSSARY 1. Scramjet Engine A SCRamjet (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) is an engine being researched for use in aircraft or future space transportation systems that operates at high speeds of approximately Mach 4 (4 times the speed of sound) or above. While typical jet engines compress air with a multi-bladed rotating fan before it enters the combustion chamber, at flight speeds above about Mach 3, the air entering the engine can be compressed under its own momentum by simply narrowing the area of the flowpath in the downstream direction and a complicated construction is unnecessary. A jet engine for supersonic aircraft that uses this method is called a ramjet. When a ramjet is operated at low speed, the flow through the engine slows to speeds below Mach 1 (subsonic flow). However, as the flight speed increases, the temperature and pressure of the incoming air into the combustor increases greatly and the engine performance suffers. To avoid this problem, at speeds above Mach 4, it is better to not slow down or compress the incoming air very much and perform combustion above the speed of sound (supersonic flow). Ramjets of this type are called Scramjets. 2. Hypermixer Fuel Injector to Generate Streamwise Vortices In the combustor of a scramjet engine, it is necessary to perform mixing and burning of the fuel and air in an extremely short period of time (0.5 milliseconds = five 10,000ths of a second) while maintaining supersonic flow conditions. Turbulent mixing of the fuel and air by the vortices present in the air is the most ideal mixing method, however, at supersonic flight speeds, the mixing of the fuel and air is reduced due to the strong suppression of vortex [1] generation by the compressibility of the air flow. For this reason, the promotion of supersonic mixing and combustion is one of the key topics in scramjet research and it is being researched and developed around the world. One of the most promising methods for promoting supersonic mixing is the use of streamwise vortices (vortices that rotate in a direction parallel to the main flow direction). Research at JAXA has shown that the generation and control of vortex parameters (size, strength, distribution, rotational direction etc.) in supersonic flow is easier to accomplish with streamwise vortices than with transverse vortices. Based on the results of this research, JAXA has developed a hypermixer fuel injector that is able to efficiently and quickly generate large-scale strong streamwise vortices with little energy loss. The HyShot-IV flight experiment will conduct an experiment under real flight conditions using a scramjet combustor installed with a wall-mounted hypermixer fuel injector to acquire combustor data in supersonic combustion mode. [1] In particular, transverse vortices (vortices that rotate in a direction perpendicular to the main flow direction). ***** Public Affairs Department Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Marunouchi Kitaguchi Building, 1-6-5, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8260 Japan TEL: +81-3-6266-6400 March 30, 2006 Flight Test Results for Scramjet Engine The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) performed a scramjet engine flight test [2] using the HyShot flight experiment system [1] at the Woomera range in Australia at 11:40 a.m. on March 30, 2006 (Japan Standard Time, JST [0240 UTC]) The actual flight test operations were commissioned to the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia. JAXA is currently waiting for the test results from the UQ and will inform you of the results as soon as we receive them. [1] The HyShot flight experiment system is a test system of the UQ that uses a small sounding rocket (Terrier-Orion Mk70) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA.) The purpose of the flight test this time is to acquire data including pressure distribution data in the engine for six seconds under an accelerated condition up to approx. Mach 8, utilizing the scramjet engine which was independently researched and developed by JAXA. It was loaded on top of the rocket and launched for the test. [2] For more details about the scramjet engine test, please refer to the press release on March 20, 2006, http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2006/03/20060320_ramjet_e.html Launch Photo: HyShot-IV launch moment (11:40 at March 30, 2006) http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2006/03/200...jet_e.html#pic ***** Public Affairs Department Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Marunouchi Kitaguchi Building, 1-6-5, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8260 Japan TEL: +81-3-6266-6400 March 30, 2006 Flight Test Results for Scramjet Engine (Follow-up Report) The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) performed a scramjet engine flight test[*] using the HyShot flight experiment system at the Woomera range in Australia at 11:40 a.m. on March 30, 2006 (Japan Standard Time, JST [0240 UTC]) The actual flight test operations were commissioned to the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia. According to the UQ, telemetry data from the HyShot flight experiment system was received including rocket flight data and scramjet engine test data. The data will be analyzed to confirm the rocket flight trajectory today. It will take a few more days to find out the test results, and we will inform you of the results as soon as we receive them. [*] For more details about the scramjet engine test, please refer to the press release on March 20, 2006, http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2006/03/20060320_ramjet_e.html ***** Public Affairs Department Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Marunouchi Kitaguchi Building, 1-6-5, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8260 Japan TEL: +81-3-6266-6400 March 30, 2006 Flight Test Results for Scramjet Engine (Follow-up Report #2) The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) would like to provide more information about our scramjet engine flight test that used the HyShot flight experiment system at the Woomera range in Australia at 11:40 a.m. on March 30, 2006 (Japan Standard Time, JST [0240 UTC]). The actual flight test operations were commissioned to the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia. The UQ informed JAXA that the highest altitude reached by the rocket was about 290 km, which is approximately 10% lower than the scheduled 320 km, according to the telemetry data sent from the HyShot. We will continue to analyze the telemetry data to find out the impact of the deviated rocket flight on the scramjet engine. We will inform you of the results as soon as we receive them. Reference press releases * Commissioned Flight Test for Scramjet Engine (March 20, 2006) http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2006/03/20060320_ramjet_e.html * Flight Test Results for Scramjet Engine (March 30, 2006) http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2006/03/20060330_ramjet_e.html * Flight Test Results for Scramjet Engine (Follow-up Report) (March 30, 2006) http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2006/03/200...ramjet2_e.html |
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