The Ramjet

Art. 5.3

Page 155 (text)

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 The Ramjet
• Synonyms:
– Lorin Tube
– Athodyd (Aerothermodynamics Duct)
• The most simple jet engine has no moving parts.

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 The Ramjet
• The speed of the jet "rams" or forces air into the engine.
• It is essentially a turbojet in which rotating machinery has
been omitted.
• Its application is restricted by the fact that its compression
ratio depends wholly on forward speed.

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 The Ramjet

• The ramjet develops no static thrust and very little thrust

in general below the speed of sound.
• As a consequence, a ramjet vehicle requires some form
of assisted takeoff, such as another aircraft.
• Uses:
– Primarily in guided-missile systems
– Space vehicles
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 The Ramjet
• Advantages:
– Simple engine, no moving parts
– Very efficient for flights at higher Mach
– Low frontal area per unit of thrust produced, hence
offers low aerodynamic drag.
• Disadvantages:
– The ramjet develops no static thrust
– Compression is only achieved through diffusion process
across diffuser
– Engine is inefficient at low speed and at off-design
conditions
– Normally variable area intake are employed to cater for
off-design conditions. This adds complexity of design
and operation.
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 Ideal Ramjet
(Thermodynamic Analysis)

• Assumptions:
– Compression and expansion processes in the
engine are isentropic.
– Combustion process takes place at constant
pressure.
– Flow parameters (γ, R, Cp) remain constant
throughout the engine.
– Nozzle is fully expanded i.e. Pe = Pa

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 Ideal Ramjet Analysis
(Noticeable Deviations)

• Diffuser:
– Irreversibility is always present due to:
• Shock waves
• Process of air and fuel mixing
• Walls friction

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 Ideal Ramjet Analysis
(Noticeable Deviations)
• Combustion:
– Both static and stagnation pressures drop due
to heat addition, unless combustion occurs at
very low fluid velocity.
– Flame will not be sustained in combustion
chamber if flow Mach# exceeds 0.3 ~ 0.4.

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 Ideal Ramjet Analysis
(Noticeable Deviations)
• Nozzle:
– Flow is not really isentropic due to the
presence of:
• Friction
• Heat transfer

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 Ideal Ramjet Analysis
• Why we study Ideal Ramjet?
– It is useful to predict highest possible performance
allowed by the laws of thermodynamics.
– It helps to ascertain the limit the real engine can
approach if all the irreversibilities are reduced or
eliminated.

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 Ideal Ramjet
(Schematic Diagram)
Fig 5.6 page 156 (Text)

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 Ideal Ramjet
Thermodynamic Analysis
With isentropic compression & expansion, with

constant pressure heat and mass addition, it

follows:

Poa  Po 6

Poa   1 2   1
Also,  1  M 
Pa 2
Fig 5.8 page

158 (text)
 

Po 6    1 2   1
and  1  Me 
Pe  2 

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 Ideal Ramjet
Thermodynamic Analysis
Therefore, with condition Pe  Pa
However, for the case
Poa Po 6 Te To 6
it is clear that,  and M a  M e Ma  Me , 
Pa Pe Ta T0 a
Thus the exhaust velocity can be found from
ae and, since
ue  u T04  T06
aa
Here, ‘a’ is the speed of sound is given by:
T04
ue  ua
a  RT T0 a
Then ….. 5.24
ae Te

aa Ta
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 Ideal Ramjet
Thermodynamic Analysis
The energy eqn applied to the idealized combustion process, if we neglect the enthalpy of the incoming fuel, is

Assuming constant specific heat

1  f h04  h02  f QR
 T04   1
 T 
f  0a  ….. 5.26

 QR T   T04 Now, using eqn 5.24 with the thrust eqn, we get
 c 0a  T0 a
 P 
  T    1 
1
2 
.
 M RT  1  f  04
T 1 
2
M   1
ma  a 2  
Where f is given by eqn 5.26. The thrust specific fuel consumption is given by .
mf f
TSFC  
  .
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ma 14
 Ideal Ramjet
Limitations of Thermodynamic Analysis
• The relations developed for various parameters are
quite approximate due to the following considerations:
– Variation of specific heat ratio with temperature have
been neglected.
– No frictional or shock losses have been accounted
for.
– No allowance have been made for dissociation of
combustion products.
• Despite these approximations, the trend shown in
subsequent performance curves is qualitatively the
same as of real Ramjet engine
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 Ideal Ramjet
(Sp. Thrust and TSFC)

The fig 5.9 shows that TSFC remains

finite, while the specific thrust

approaches zero with increasing

Mach.

Fig 5.9 page 160 (text)

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 Ideal Ramjet
(Sp. Thrust and Efficiencies)
The fig 5.10 shows that although highest specific thrust

is associated with M=2.6, but from fig 5.9 the M>3

provides the much better range.

The fig also shows sharp increase in overall efficiency while

specific thrust declines sharply with increasing M. This is an

example of common result that the conditions for min fuel

Fig 5.10 page 161 consumption (or max range) are quite different from those for
(text)
which engine size per unit thrust is min.

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 Ideal Ramjet
(TSFC and Fuel-Air Ratio)

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 REAL RAMJET

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 Real Ramjet
(Schematic Diagram)
Fig 5.6 page 156 (text)

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 Real Ramjet
Fig 5.6 page 156 (text)

• Effects of friction always

appear as stagnation
pressure loss across the
components; thus:
 P0a>P02 & P04>P06
• However, unless there is
heat transfer, stagnation
temperature does not
change. Therefore:
 T0a=T02 & T04=T06
 But T04>T02 (combustion)

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Fig 5.11 page 161 (text)
 Real Ramjet P06
Overall stagnation pressure ratio is
 rd rc rn
P0 a
Burner performance is given by

Diffuser performance is P04

rc 
given by P02

P02
rd  Nozzles performance is
P0 a given by

P06
rn 
P04
Fig 5.11 page 161 (text)
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 Real Ramjet
Further, the actual exhaust pressure Pe or P6 may not equal the ambient pressure Pa.

For constant specific heat, we can write for exit Mach as

 1
  
2    1 2  P06 Pa 
2
Me  1  M    1
  1  2  P0 a Pe  
 
In terms of component stagnation pressure ratios,

 1
  
2    1 2  Pa 
2
Me  1  M  rd rc rn   1
  1  2  Pe  
 
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 Real Ramjet
Assuming negligible heat transfer from the engine, the exhaust velocity is given by
ue  M e RTe
Or in terms of exhaust stagnation temperature
ue  M e
 RT04
  1 2 
1  Me 
 2 
Since stagnation temperatures remain unaffected by the
 T04   1
irreversibilities, the modified fuel air ratio is given by  T 
f  0a 

 bQR T   T04
 c 0a  T0 a
 P 

where ηb is the combustion efficiency and ηbQR is the actual heat release per mass of fuel

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The thrust per unit airflow rate then becomes

 1
.
 1  f ue  u  .
Pe  Pa Ae
ma ma
or if the expression for Mach No is used

 2RT04 m  1 Pe Ae  Pa 
 1  f   M RTa  . 1  
ma
.
  1m ma  Pe 
 1

in which    1 2  Pa 
m  1  M  rd rc rn 
 2  Pe 
Thrust specific fuel consumption is then given by
f
TSFC 
 .
ma
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 Ramjet: Thrust and Fuel Consumption

Real Ramjet Ideal Ramjet

Fig 5.12 page 163 (text) Fig 5.9 page 160 (text)

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 Ramjet: Thrust and Efficiencies

Real Ramjet Ideal Ramjet

Fig 5.13 page 163 (text) Fig 5.10 page 161 (text)
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 Real Ramjet

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