VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

JNANASANGAMA, BELAGAVI – 590018

TECHNICAL SEMINAR
(18ECS84)

“SCRAMJET”

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
IN
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

For the Academic year 2021-2022

Report Submitted by:

KRITHIKA T (1MV18EC045)
Under the Guidance of

Dr. Sasmita Mohapatra

Associate Professor / Department of ECE

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

SIR M. VISVESVARAYA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Krishnadevaraya Nagar, Hunasamaranahalli, Bangalore-562157
2021-2022
 SIR M. VISVESVARAYA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

Certified that the Technical Seminar (18ECS86) on “SCRAMJET” prepared by

KRITHIKA T (1MV18EC045), a bonafide student of SIR M. VISVESVARAYA
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. The report is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the award of the degree of “Bachelor of Engineering” in Electronics and
communication Engg. From the Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi,
Karnataka, India, during the academic year 2021-2022. It is certified that all
corrections/suggestions indicated for Internal Assessment have been incorporated in the
report submitted to the Department. The Seminar report has been approved as it satisfies the
academic requirement in respect to the work prescribed for the said Degree.

Signature of the Guide Signature of HOD Signature of Principal

Dr. Sasmita Mohapatra Dr. R Sundaraguru Dr. V. R. Manjunath
Associate Professor Professor & Head Sir MVIT

iii
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare the Seminar Report on “SCRAMJET” undertaken has been presented under
the guidance of Dr. Sasmita Mohapatra, Associate Professor, Department of Electronics and
Communication Engineering Sir MVIT, Bengaluru. This topic has not been submitted
previously in the Dept. of ECE and any other Departments of Sir MVIT.

Name : KRITHIKA T
USN : 1MV18EC045
Branch : Department of Electronics and Communication Engg.
College : Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, Bangalore-562157

iv
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I welcome this opportunity to convey my regards, gratitude, respect, decorations, and

a lot of thanks to them who inspired me to complete this internship report in the stipulated
period of time provided. And I also apologize in advance for any omission or mistake that
may have been advertently taken place.

I welcome this opportunity to convey my regards, gratitude, respect, decorations, and

a lot of thanks to them who inspired me to complete this seminar report in the stipulated
period of time provided. And I also apologize in advance for any omission or mistake that
may have been advertently taken place.

I would like to show my gratitude to Dr. V. R. Manjunath, Principal of SIR MVIT,

for permitting me to carry out my internship and providing us with a congenial environment
for making a report and explaining the same.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. R Sundaraguru, HOD Dept. of

ECE, SIR MVIT, for constant support and encouragement.

I would like to thank our project guide and mentor Dr. Sasmita Mohapatra,
Associate Professor, Dept. of ECE, SIR MVIT, for her valuable guidance and support in the
completion of this seminar.

I would also like to thank my parents, friends and close ones who rendered me active
support for the completion of this internship report. I acknowledge them with a lot of
gratitude and regard and without all of the above this internship report may not be easily
possible.

KRITHIKA T

(1MV18EC045)

v
 ABSTRACT

The scramjet engine is the most favorable air breathing propulsive system and
suitable option for high-speed flight (Ma<4). Several scientists across the globe are
continuously working on the advancement of the high-speed scramjet engine due to its
implementation in the military missiles, low-cost access to space etc. The mixing
phenomena associated with air and fuel is the salient feature for the effective
combustion process and the fuel and air should be mixed adequately before entering the
combustor. But the key challenges associated with scramjet engine are the high speed
of air inside the combustor and low residence time which deteriorate the combustion
phenomena. That’s why numerous computational, as well as experimental researches
are being carried out by several researchers. The flow-field inside the scramjet engine is
very complex. Hence an elaborated approach of the complicated combustion and
mixing process inside the combustor is essential for the upgradation of the effective
scramjet engine. This paper clearly signifies a brief review of the current development
in scramjet engine.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPIC PAGE

CERTIFICATE ii

DECLARATION iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

ABSTRACT v

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 01

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE SURVEY 02

CHAPTER 3: SCRAMJET 07

CHAPTER 4: WORKING PRINCIPLE 09

CHAPTER 5: APPLICATION 14

CHAPTER 6: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES 15

CHAPTER 7: FUTURE ENHANCEMENT 16

REFERENCES vi
 LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE DESCRIPTION PAGE

FIG. 1.1- PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION OF A SCRAMJET ENGINE 1

FIG. 1.2- DIRECTION OF AIRSTREAM AND FUEL IN ENGINE 2

FIG. 3.1- JET ENGINE COMPONENTS 7

FIG. 4.1- COMPARISON OF (A)JET ENGINE (B)RAMJET (C)SCRAMJET 11

FIG. 4.2- BREAKDOWN OF STATIONS IN SCRAMJET 13

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

A scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) is a variant of a ramjet airbreathing jet

engine in which combustion takes place in supersonic airflow. As in ramjets, a scramjet relies
on high vehicle speed to compress the incoming air forcefully before combustion
(hence ramjet), but whereas a ramjet decelerates the air to subsonic velocities before
combustion using shock cones, a scramjet has no shock cone and slows the airflow using
shockwaves produced by its ignition source in place of a shock cone. This allows the scramjet
to operate efficiently at extremely high speeds.

Figure 1.1 Principle of operation of a scramjet engine

Nearly 70% of the propellant (fuel-oxidiser combination) carried by today’s launch vehicles
consists of oxidiser. Therefore, the next generation launch vehicles must use a propulsion
system which can utilise the atmospheric oxygen during their flight through the atmosphere
which will considerably reduce the total propellant required to place a satellite in orbit. Also,
if those vehicles are made re-usable, the cost of launching satellites will further come down
significantly. Thus, the future re-usable launch vehicle concept along with air-breathing
propulsion is an exciting candidate offering routine access to space at far lower cost.
Considering the strategic nature of air-breathing technology which has the potential to bring a
significant shift in the launch vehicle design, worldwide efforts are on to develop the
technology for air breathing engines. Ramjet, Scramjet and Dual Mode Ramjet (DMRJ) are
the three concepts of air-breathing engines which are being developed by various space
agencies.
A ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that uses the vehicle’s forward motion to
compress incoming air for combustion without a rotating compressor. Fuel is injected in the
combustion chamber where it mixes with the hot compressed air and ignites. A ramjet-
powered vehicle requires an assisted take-off like a rocket assist to accelerate it to a speed
where it begins to produce thrust. Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds around

1
Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) and can operate up to speeds of Mach 6. However,
the ramjet efficiency starts to drop when the vehicle reaches hypersonic speeds.
A scramjet engine is an improvement over the ramjet engine as it efficiently operates at
hypersonic speeds and allows supersonic combustion. Thus it is known as Supersonic
Combustion Ramjet, or Scramjet.

Figure 1.2 Direction of airstream and fuel in engine

All scramjet engines have an intake which compresses the incoming air, fuel injectors, a
combustion chamber, and a divergent thrust nozzle. Sometimes engines also include a region
which acts as a flame holder, although the high stagnation temperatures mean that an area of
focused waves may be used, rather than a discrete engine part as seen in turbine engines.
Other engines use pyrophoric fuel additives, such as silane, to avoid flameout. An isolator
between the inlet and combustion chamber is often included to improve the homogeneity of
the flow in the combustor and to extend the operating range of the engine.

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 PAPER 1 - A review of the scramjet

experimental data base
By: R.K.Seleznev, S.T.Surzhikov, J.S.Shang, 2019

2.1.1 ABSTRACT

The frontier in hypersonic flights via an air-breathing scramjet faces a formidable

challenge, because the operational principle is built on thermal compression, which is
inherently interwoven with complex and delicate balancing by aerodynamics and
chemical kinetics interaction. In addition, the aerodynamic contraction ratio of the
engine flow path varies significantly with flight speed, which must be accomplished by
integrated inlet-isolator-combustor with a tailored fuel injection. The intensive

2
 activities for developing scramjet propulsive systems have been sustained for more than
six decades, but the design and analysis process by modeling and simulation technique
still requires improvement. For this reason, the present effort is summarizing and
sharing the experimental data base developed in USA, Russia, China, Germany,
Australia, France and Japan for studying the scramjet.

2.1.2 INTRODUCTION

In the present review, the pioneering supersonic combustion testing is presented first.
Then all data are divided into groups according to the key components of scramjet for
inlet-isolator, combustor either with step, cavity, or throttle, as well as, the
fuel injector through wall or from a pylon. The collected entire data base includes a
brief description of the geometric configurations, data measured, and testing conditions
as a function of Mach number, temperature, pressure, and fuel mixture. The theoretical
and the computational simulations directly related to the experiment are also included.
We emphasize that the main attention in this review is given to model experiments;
therefore, first of all, this review can be useful for engineers and scientists who are
using numerical simulation of the thermo-gasdynamics of combustion processes for the
purpose of validating the developing computer codes and kinetic models. The
validation problem is also important in obtaining new experimental data for the
conditions of experiments already performed, which undoubtedly raises the reliability
and value of model experiments, which in the case of a multiple repetition of the results
by different experimenters groups can be attributed as the "canonical" experiments or
the benchmark tests.

2.2 PAPER 2 - Aerodynamic characteristics of a free-

flight scramjet vehicle in shock tunnel
By: Marie Tanno, Hideyuki Tanno, 2021

2.2.1 ABSTRACT
A multi-component aerodynamic test for an airframe-engine integrated scramjet vehicle
model was conducted in the free-piston shock tunnel HIEST. A free-flight force

3
 measurement technique was applied to the scramjet vehicle model named MoDKI. A
new method using multiple piezoelectric accelerometers was developed based on
overdetermined system analysis. Its unique features are the following: (1) The
accelerometer’s mounting location can be more flexible. (2) The measurement
precision is predicted to be improved by increasing the number of accelerometers. (3)
The angular acceleration can be obtained with single-axis translational accelerometers
instead of gyroscopes. (4) Through the averaging process of the multiple
accelerometers, model natural vibration is expected to be mitigated. With eight model-
onboard single-axis accelerometers, the three-component aerodynamic coefficients
(Drag, Lift, and Pitching moment) of MoDKI were successfully measured at the angle
of attack from 0.7 to 3.4 degrees under a Mach 8 free-stream test flow condition. A
linear regression fitting revealed a 95% prediction interval as the measurement
precision of each aerodynamic coefficient.

2.2.2 INTRODUCTION
The scramjet engine is highly anticipated to be the most likely used propulsion system
for the next-generation hypersonic transporter. Since the scramjet is impacted to such a
considerable extent by the vehicle shape and configuration, one of the key technical
issues is assessing the totally integrated vehicle, in terms of aerodynamic stability and
propulsion performance. Although flight tests are one of the most desirable options for
the integrated vehicle assessment, the testing cost is high, and the number of the test
and flight conditions is both limited. Conversely, shock tunnels have been commonly
used for hypersonic aerothermodynamic research at a reasonable operating cost.

2.3 PAPER 3 - Influence of Different Fuels on Scramjet

Engine Performance
By: Wang Zhi-hua, Chen Yu-chun, Wang Xiao-dong, Chen Min-ze, Zhou Jun-
hui, Liu Chi, 2019

2.3.1 ABSTRACT

Various fuels can be used for Scramjet engines and the overall performance of the
scramjet engine can be affected by different fuels it consumes. This paper has the topic

4
 of investigating on the influence of different fuels on scramjet engine performance. A
reference scramjet configuration with design point parameters is given, based on that,
the design point performances, throttling characteristics and velocity characteristics of
scramjet engines using hydrogen, kerosene (C12H23), ethylene and methane as fuels
are calculated and analyzed respectively. By comparing the results with different kinds
of fuels, the influence of different kinds of fuels on scramjet engine performance is
obtained. The results show that the specific thrust and specific impulse of hydrogen-
fueled engine are the highest. The minimum flight Mach number allowed by hydrogen-
fueled engine is the largest and that allowed by kerosene-fueled engine is the smallest,
which means kerosene-fueled engine can operate at lower Mach numbers compare to
hydrogen-fueled engine.

2.3.2 INTRODUCTION

The development of hypersonic vehicle technology is another milestone in aerospace

filed after the invention of aircraft, breaking through the sound barrier and entering
space[1]. High performance propulsion technology represented by scramjet engine is
one of the key technologies to realize hypersonic flight. In recent years, scramjet has
attracted more and more attention from various countries. Various fuels can be used for
Scramjet engines and the influence of different fuels on scramjet engine performance is
worth studying. Based on the reference configuration of scramjet, this paper calculates
the overall performance of the scramjet using hydrogen, kerosene (C12H23), ethylene
and methane as fuels respectively. And the results of design point performance,
throttling characteristics and velocity characteristics of scramjet using different fuels is
compared and analyzed.

2.4 PAPER 4 - Design of Hypersonic Scramjet Engine

Operating between Mach 5 to Mach 9
By: Daniyal Ahmed Khan, M. Hammad Hassan, Ihtzaz Qamar, 2019

2.4.1 ABSTRACT

A very-large-scale integration capable of extracting motion features from moving

images in real time has been developed employing row-parallel and pixel-parallel

5
architectures based on the digital pixel sensor technology. Directional edge filtering of
input images is carried out in row-parallel processing to minimize the chip real estate.
To achieve a real-time response of the system, a fully pixel-parallel architecture has
been explored in adaptive binarization of filtered images for essential feature extraction
as well as in their temporal integration and derivative operations. As a result, self-
speed-adaptive motion feature extraction has been established. The chip was designed
and fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS technology and used to build an object detection
system. Motion-sensitive target image localization was demonstrated as an illustrative
example.

2.4.2 INTRODUCTION

Real-time motion recognition is becoming increasingly important in various

applications, such as automotive vehicle control, efficient human–computer interaction,
video surveillance, remote gesture control, sign language interpretation, surgery
support, and so forth. In automotive vehicle control, for instance, it can be used for slip
detection and in surgery support, monitoring the behavior of a beating heart would play
a crucial role. For such applications, high-speed image processing employing high-
frame-rate image sensors [about 1000 frames/s] can significantly provide many details
of the motion, which is very useful for improving the speed and precision of the
recognition. Many applications benefit much from the highspeed image processing
(about 1000 frames/s), such as the system reported for counting objects flowing rapidly
on the line, for microorganisms observation under microscope, and in [76] for object
regrasping using a robot hand.

6
CHAPTER 3
SCRAMJET

A scramjet engine is a supersonic-combustion engine that ditches the compressor and

turbine of a typical jet engine and can attain speeds greater than Mach 5.

JET ENGINES

Before we take a closer look at scramjet engines, let’s touch upon jet engines in
general. Jet engines are combustion engines that generate thrust (or movement) through
jet propulsion. These engines find application in high-speed situations, such as jet
airplanes, fighter jets, missiles and drones. Jet engines are also modified for use in
high-speed cars and power plants. A basic jet engine works on the same principle as a
traditional gas turbine.

Figure 2.1 Jet engine components

A jet engine consists of a compressor at the front followed by a combustion chamber

and a turbine. The compressor and turbine are mounted on the same shaft. A fan at the
front of the compressor sucks in air from the atmosphere.

The compressor, composed of multiple blades rotating at high speeds on a shaft, then
compresses the incoming air. The pressure and temperature of the air increases and the
speed drops as a result of this compression. Whereas in the combustion chamber, fuel is
sprayed on the compressed air and a spark from the spark plug ignites the mixture.

The mixture then expands spontaneously, creating a jet. The reaction force generated
from the jet trying to blast out of the nozzle provides the necessary thrust to move the

7
plane/vehicle forward. The amount of thrust that is generated depends on the speed of
the exiting jet in comparison to the speed of the inlet air. The greater the speed of the
exiting jet, the greater the amount of thrust produced.

Before exiting the engine, the jet passes through the turbine blades. The movement
imparted by the exiting jet on the turbine blades is transferred to the compressor by a
shaft.

A major drawback of the traditional jet engine is the number of moving parts it
incorporates. The compressor reduces the incoming air to subsonic speeds in a
conventional jet engine. Thus, a limited amount of thrust can be generated as the exit
jet velocity also remains under subsonic levels. Moreover, the dream of traveling from
one place to another on Earth at supersonic speeds isn’t attainable with a regular jet
engine. Most jet engines can only accomplish subsonic speeds, i.e, speeds below Mach
1, although a very small number can fly at speeds of around Mach 3. This is where
ramjets and scramjet engines come into play.

RAMJET vs SCRAMJET

In a ramjet, the incoming air is slowed down to below subsonic levels by the diffuser. It
makes use of oblique shock waves to slow the flow down, followed by a final normal
shock wave to bring it below subsonic speeds. Since the amount of thrust generated
depends on the speed of the exhaust jet, in ramjets, similar to jet engines, the amount of
generated thrust is limited by the subsonic flow of air in the combustion chamber.

To increase thrust production, the incoming air must not be slowed down below
subsonic speeds; scramjet engines do just that. Scramjet engines are nothing but an
upgrade to ramjet engines; in fact, scramjet stands for ‘supersonic combustion ramjet
engines’.

In scramjets, the incoming airflow is not slowed down to subsonic levels and maintains
supersonic speeds. This is accomplished by a more gradually diverging diffuser. The
combustion chamber in scramjets is also modified to operate at supersonic speeds,
while the combustion chamber in ramjets only operates at subsonic speeds.

The propelling nozzle is also modified to accelerate the exhaust jet to higher Mach

8
numbers. Thus, the thrust generated by scramjets is more than that of ramjets.
Scramjets, therefore, can fly at greater speeds than ramjets.

9
CHAPTER 4
WORKING PRINCIPLE

Scramjet engines are a type of jet engine, and rely on the combustion of fuel and an
oxidizer to produce thrust. Similar to conventional jet engines, scramjet-powered
aircraft carry the fuel on board, and obtain the oxidizer by the ingestion of atmospheric
oxygen (as compared to rockets, which carry both fuel and an oxidizing agent). This
requirement limits scramjets to suborbital atmospheric propulsion, where the oxygen
content of the air is sufficient to maintain combustion.

The scramjet is composed of three basic components: a converging inlet, where

incoming air is compressed; a combustor, where gaseous fuel is burned with
atmospheric oxygen to produce heat; and a diverging nozzle, where the heated air is
accelerated to produce thrust. Unlike a typical jet engine, such as
a turbojet or turbofan engine, a scramjet does not use rotating, fan-like components to
compress the air; rather, the achievable speed of the aircraft moving through the
atmosphere causes the air to compress within the inlet. As such, no moving parts are
needed in a scramjet. In comparison, typical turbojet engines require multiple stages of
rotating compressor rotors, and multiple rotating turbine stages, all of which add
weight, complexity, and a greater number of failure points to the engine. Due to the
nature of their design, scramjet operation is limited to near-hypersonic velocities. As
they lack mechanical compressors, scramjets require the high kinetic energy of a
hypersonic flow to compress the incoming air to operational conditions. Thus, a
scramjet-powered vehicle must be accelerated to the required velocity (usually about
Mach 4) by some other means of propulsion, such as turbojet, railgun, or rocket
engines.

10
 Figure 3 Comparison of (a)Jet engine (b)Ramjet (c)Scramjet

Scramjets are designed to operate in the hypersonic flight regime, beyond the reach of
turbojet engines, and, along with ramjets, fill the gap between the high efficiency of
turbojets and the high speed of rocket engines. Turbomachinery-based engines, while
highly efficient at subsonic speeds, become increasingly inefficient at transonic speeds,
as the compressor rotors found in turbojet engines require subsonic speeds to operate.
While the flow from transonic to low supersonic speeds can be decelerated to these
conditions, doing so at supersonic speeds results in a tremendous increase in
temperature and a loss in the total pressure of the flow. Around Mach 3–4,
turbomachinery is no longer useful, and ram-style compression becomes the preferred
method.

Ramjets use high-speed characteristics of air to literally 'ram' air through an inlet
diffuser into the combustor. At transonic and supersonic flight speeds, the air upstream
of the inlet is not able to move out of the way quickly enough, and is compressed
within the diffuser before being diffused into the combustor. Combustion in a ramjet
takes place at subsonic velocities, similar to turbojets, but the combustion products are
then accelerated through a convergent-divergent nozzle to supersonic speeds. As they
have no mechanical means of compression, ramjets cannot start from a standstill, and

11
generally do not achieve sufficient compression until supersonic flight. The lack of
intricate turbomachinery allows ramjets to deal with the temperature rise associated
with decelerating a supersonic flow to subsonic speeds, but this only goes so far: at
near-hypersonic velocities, the temperature rise and inefficiencies discourage
decelerating the flow to the magnitude found in ramjet engines.

Scramjet engines operate on the same principles as ramjets, but do not decelerate the
flow to subsonic velocities. Rather, a scramjet combustor is supersonic: the inlet
decelerates the flow to a lower Mach number for combustion, after which it is
accelerated to an even higher Mach number through the nozzle. By limiting the amount
of deceleration, temperatures within the engine are kept at a tolerable level, from both a
material and combustive standpoint. Even so, current scramjet technology requires the
use of high-energy fuels and active cooling schemes to maintain sustained operation,
often using hydrogen and regenerative cooling techniques.

The kinetic energy of the freestream air entering the scramjet engine is largely
comparable to the energy released by the reaction of the oxygen content of the air with
a fuel (e.g. hydrogen). Thus the heat released from combustion at Mach 2.5 is around
10% of the total enthalpy of the working fluid. Depending on the fuel, the kinetic
energy of the air and the potential combustion heat release will be equal at around
Mach 8. Thus the design of a scramjet engine is as much about minimizing drag as
maximizing thrust.

This high speed makes the control of the flow within the combustion chamber more
difficult. Since the flow is supersonic, no downstream influence propagates within the
freestream of the combustion chamber. Throttling of the entrance to the thrust nozzle is
not a usable control technique. In effect, a block of gas entering the combustion
chamber must mix with fuel and have sufficient time for initiation and reaction, all the
while traveling supersonically through the combustion chamber, before the burned gas
is expanded through the thrust nozzle.

To keep the combustion rate of the fuel constant, the pressure and temperature in the
engine must also be constant.

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 Figure 4.2 Breakdown of stations in Scramjet

The breakdown of each station is as follows:

1. Station 0: This is the free stream condition and represents the incoming flow. The
important values for this station are the flight Mach number.

2. Stations 1-3: In the forebody of the scramjet are the "inlet" and isolator components
of the engine. Pictured above is a design which uses a mixed inlet with both
external and internal compression ramps as well as an internal isolator. The entire
purpose of these sections is to slow the incoming air by a series of oblique
shockwaves, thereby increasing the static pressure P and static temperature T while
minimizing stagnation pressure loss. In addition to compressing the inlet flow, the
isolator also serves as a threshold between the combustor and the upstream
shockwaves, with the intent to dissociate any upstream influence of the supersonic
combustion process. In normal operation, the internal flow is attached, however, if
the combustor pressure rise is large enough to cause flow separation, a series of
shock waves are created which can travel upstream and upset the carefully balanced
oblique shock system of the inlet. Thus the isolator is intended to "contain" this
flow separation and nullify the upstream influence.

3. Stations 3-4: In the heart of the scramjet lies the combustor, where fuel and air are
ignited and heat is released, resulting in an increase in stagnation temperature T0
and a small decrease in stagnation pressure. Due to the complexity of supersonic
combustion, it is the most difficult component to model and requires very careful
consideration of input values, assumptions, and boundary conditions. Essential to
its modeling are the time scales involved with the chemical kinetics and the flow
through time of fluid.

13
4. Stations 4-10: In a similar manner to the inlet, with both internal and external
sections, the nozzle accelerates the hot gas by expansion, thereby increasing the
kinetic energy of the flow and decreasing its static pressure and static temperature.
Ideally, a well designed nozzle will expand the gas such that its static pressure
matches the ambient pressure of the atmosphere.

14
CHAPTER 5
APPLICATIONS

 An aircraft using this type of jet engine could dramatically reduce the time it
takes to travel from one place to another, potentially putting any place on Earth
within a 90-minute flight.

 A few months ago, India’s DRDO (Defense Research and Development

Organization) made the news for successfully conducting the maiden flight test
of its unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft for hypersonic speed flight.
The demonstration aircraft was officially called the ‘Hypersonic Technology
Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV)’. The aircraft was designed to achieve speeds
greater than Mach 6. To put that into perspective, a passenger aircraft travels at
a speed significantly below Mach 1.

 NASA made aviation history with the first and second successful flights of a
scramjet-powered airplane at hypersonic speeds -- speeds greater than Mach 5
or five times the speed of sound.

 The eight-year, approximately $230 million NASA Hyper-X program was a

high-risk, high-payoff research program. It undertook challenges never before
attempted. No vehicle powered by an air-breathing engine had ever flown at
hypersonic speeds before the successful March 2004 flight. In addition, the
rocket boost and subsequent separation from the rocket to get to the scramjet
test condition had complex elements that had to work properly for mission
success. Careful analyses and design were applied to reduce risks to acceptable
levels

 After the first flight attempt in June of 2001 failed when the booster rocket went
out of control, the second and third attempts resulted in highly successful,
record-breaking flights. Mach 6.8 was reached in March of 2004, and Mach 9.6
was reached in the final flight in November of 2004.

15
CHAPTER 6

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

6.1 ADVANTAGES
 An advantage of a hypersonic airbreathing (typically scramjet) is avoiding or at least
reducing the need for carrying oxidizer. Solar energy comes in free of charge. The
energy from the sun is free. The source of energy is practically free because we get
sunlight directly from sun.
 Scramjets have few to no moving parts. Most of their body consists of continuous
surfaces. With simple fuel pumps, reduced total components, and the re-entry system
being the craft itself, scramjet development tends to be more of a materials and
modeling problem than anything else.
 It can also liquefy the oxygen and store it on board.
 Scramjet has a higher specific impulse (change in momentum per unit of propellant)
than a rocket engine.
 Higher speed could mean cheaper access to outer space in the future.
 It will achieve speeds up to Mach 8.

6.2 DISADVANTAGES

 A scramjet cannot produce efficient thrust unless boosted to high speed, around Mach
5, depending on design, although, as mentioned earlier, it could act as a ramjet at low
speeds.
 Also needed would be fuel for those engines, plus all engine associated mounting
structure and control systems. Turbofan engines are heavy and cannot easily exceed
about Mach 2-3, so another propulsion method would be needed to reach scramjet
operating speed. That could be ramjets or rockets. Those would also need their own
separate fuel supply, structure, and systems.
 Unlike jet or rocket propulsion systems facilities which can be tested on the ground,
testing scramjet designs use extremely expensive hypersonic test chambers or
expensive launch vehicles, both of which lead to high instrumentation costs. Launched
test vehicles very typically end with destruction of the test item and instrumentation.

16
CHAPTER 7
FUTURE SCOPE

The reason scramjets are piquing the interest of scientists world-wide is that while very
difficult to implement, they offer a couple distinct advantages over the current means of
propulsion.

They operate at higher speeds and altitudes than conventional jet engines. It is believed
that they should be able to function over the range of Mach 5 to 20. By contrast, the
fastest ramjet plane, the SR-71 Blackbird operated about Mach 3.5.

Rockets can easily achieve these speeds, but they are much more expensive to
operate. Rockets achieve their great thrust by carrying the fuel as well as the oxygen
needed to burn the fuel. A considerable amount of the weight of the rocket is taken up
by the oxygen (or oxygen-rich compounds in solid fuel rockets) they carry on board, so
that much of the fuel is needed solely to transport this additional weight. Scramjets can
operate much more efficiently by comparison, since they derive all the oxygen for
combustion out of the atmosphere. This reduces the cost of operational costs as well as
the size and weight of the craft.

At this point, the use of scramjets in missiles and satellite rockets is much more realistic
than in aircraft. A missile can be fairly easily accelerated by a gun system, but it would
be highly difficult to accelerate an aircraft to hypersonic speeds so that the scramjet can
take over. Even if a way could be found to accelerate an aircraft, the design shape
necessary to handle hypersonic speeds is not suited for subsonic speeds necessary for
landings. The craft could be slowed by a system of parachutes, but seems highly
uneconomical and impractical for a craft subject to regular use. The other alternative is
the development of a hybrid engine that could be switched between subsonic jet
operation, to ramjet, and finally scramjet configurations. In the future this may become
a viable possibility, but first it will require years of research and testing of scramjet
behavior.

17
CHAPTER 8
REFERENCES

[1] R.K.SeleznevabcS.T.SurzhikovabJ.S.Shangd,” A review of the scramjet

experimental data base”, 2019, progress in aerospace science,elsevier
[2] Tanno, M., Tanno, H. Aerodynamic characteristics of a free-flight scramjet vehicle
in shock tunnel. Exp Fluids 62, 150 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-021-03229-
0
[3] W. Zhi-hua, C. Yu-chun, W. Xiao-dong, C. Min-ze, Z. Jun-hui and L. Chi,
"Influence of Different Fuels on Scramjet Engine Performance," 2019 IEEE 10th
International Conference on Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (ICMAE), 2019,
pp. 434-438, doi: 10.1109/ICMAE.2019.8880975.
[4] D. A. Khan, M. H. Hassan and I. Qamar, "Design of Hypersonic Scramjet Engine
Operating between Mach 5 to Mach 9," 2019 Sixth International Conference on
Aerospace Science and Engineering (ICASE), 2019, pp. 1-6, doi:
10.1109/ICASE48783.2019.9059159.
[5] https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/what-is-a-scramjet-engine.html
[6] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/X43A_2006_5.html
[7] https://www.isro.gov.in/launchers/isro’s-scramjet-engine-technology-demonstrator-
successfully-flight-tested
[8]https://createdigital.org.au/scramjet-super-fast-experimental-engine-no-moving-
parts/
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scramjet
[10] Roudakov, Alexander S.; Schickhmann, Y.; Semenov, Vyacheslav L.; Novelli,
Ph.; Fourt, O. (1993). "Flight Testing an Axisymmetric Scramjet – Recent Russian
Advances". 44th Congress of the International Astronautical Federation. Vol. 10. Graz,
Austria: International Astronautical Federation.

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