|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Towards a combined-cycle SSTO.
On Jan 26, 5:18*am, Robert Clark wrote:
Looking at the numbers I'm now convinced you can make a single stage to orbit vehicle with a combined ramjet/rocket engine, and without having to use scramjets. AFAIK the only advantage to a jet mode is not having to carry oxidizer for that part of the ascent within atmosphere dense enough *at a specific velocity* to obtain sufficient oxygen to take the place of the oxidizer. "Sufficient" tails off with height of course, so you have to tailor velocity profile to density (modulo oxygen concentration per altitude). Rather than favoring a particular design a priori, it would seem that the first step is determining the maximum altitude at which any kind of air-breather will work *better than a rocket* at that altitude. That's your potential final engine configuration before going to pure rocket. Anybody done that? Then, determine the altitude and velocity domains in which a specific type of jet is most efficient. Then, determine the feasibility of combining the winners so they can transition from one mode to the next *without awkward loss of thrust* during transition. IOW, work backwards from a high-altitude efficiency benchmark to determine what sort of engine you use to launch with. I'll mention recalling reading that at sea level, piston engines are more efficient than any kind of jet. I'd love to see a SSTO with props... Heard of the Pulse Detonation Engine? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_detonation_engine Still under research but very promising. The idea is to combine the turbo-ramjet/rocket into a single engine. This is what Skylon wants to do with their Sabre engine. But the Sabre will use hypersonic airbreathing propulsion up to Mach 5.5 before the rockets take over. This will require complicated air-cooling methods using heat exchangers with flowing liquid hydrogen for the Skylon. ISTM that as long as the air-cooling tech is passive and doesn't introduce enough drag to offset the no-oxidizer-aboard advantage, and the hydrogen cooling tech isn't as heavy as the oxidizer would have been, then fine. Otherwise, no point. But the above suggested analytical path may indicate it isn't worthwhile to include either turbojet or ramjet mode. Mark L. Fergerson |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Towards a combined-cycle SSTO.
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Towards a combined-cycle SSTO.
On Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:27:46 +1100, Sylvia Else
wrote: There doesn't appear to be a theoretical limit, so at any altitude, there is a velocity at which an airbreathing engine will out perform a rocket. Actually, there is. Consider the simple ratio of the energy available from the combustion process to the energy of the captured airstream. On a per mass basis this is the heat of combustion divided by the total enthalpy of captured airstream. http://preview.tinyurl.com/87gz29g See 3.1 Airframe Integrated Scramjet Design Challenges 1st paragraph. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Towards a combined-cycle SSTO.
On 30/01/2012 5:39 AM, me wrote:
On Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:27:46 +1100, Sylvia Else wrote: There doesn't appear to be a theoretical limit, so at any altitude, there is a velocity at which an airbreathing engine will out perform a rocket. Actually, there is. Consider the simple ratio of the energy available from the combustion process to the energy of the captured airstream. On a per mass basis this is the heat of combustion divided by the total enthalpy of captured airstream. http://preview.tinyurl.com/87gz29g See 3.1 Airframe Integrated Scramjet Design Challenges 1st paragraph. All that means, to my mind, is that the performance of an ideal air breathing engine aproaches that of a rocket engine asymptotically from above as velocity increases. Sylvia. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Towards a combined-cycle SSTO.
On Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:18:12 +1100, Sylvia Else
wrote: All that means, to my mind, is that the performance of an ideal air breathing engine aproaches that of a rocket engine asymptotically from above as velocity increases. Not sure by what rules your ideal system plays, but there is nothing which says an air breather need make positive thrust. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Towards a combined-cycle SSTO.
On 1/02/2012 9:23 AM, me wrote:
On Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:18:12 +1100, Sylvia Else wrote: All that means, to my mind, is that the performance of an ideal air breathing engine aproaches that of a rocket engine asymptotically from above as velocity increases. Not sure by what rules your ideal system plays, but there is nothing which says an air breather need make positive thrust. In an ideal system there are no entropy gains. The captured airstream undergoes adiabatic compression with an associated temperature increase. This process is completely reversible, so that the the air can be expanded with a lowering of temperature and return to its original state. There would be no net force on the engine. If heat is added between the compression and expansion, then the expansion starts from a higher pressure, which can clearly be used to generate thrust. Achieving, or even approaching, an ideal system is not easy, of course, but that is, as I said, and engineering problem. Sylvia. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Towards a combined-cycle SSTO. | Robert Clark | Astronomy Misc | 63 | February 18th 12 10:45 AM |
Combined Cycle Combustion/Plasma Rocket? | Earl Colby Pottinger | Policy | 13 | November 15th 04 09:57 AM |
CEV combined with upper stage? | Pete Lynn | Policy | 5 | September 21st 04 11:55 PM |