THEORY OF PROPULSION

5. Inlets

P. M. SFORZA
University of Florida
 Inlet Requirements
•Duct air to the engine with low drag and
total pressure loss
•Diffuse flow to high pressure and low Mach
number
•Minimize flow distortion in flow to engine
•Handle range of mass flow
•Low weight, small size, and mechanically
simple
Theory of Propulsion 2
Inlets set up flow for the compressor

inlet compressor combustor turbine nozzle

20p0 2V0

V0

p0
Theory of Propulsion 3
 Subsonic inlets

0 1 2

M0<1 compressor

Theory of Propulsion 4
 Subsonic inlet
 1
  1 2  2 1  1
1  M0
 A0  M1  2  1  2    1 2  2 1
        1 1  M 0 
A
 1  max M0   1 2  M0   2 
 1  M1
 2 

(A0/A1)max
4
3
 A0  1  5  M  2

    1 
0

2  A1  max M 0  6  5 

0
0 .25 .5 .75 1 M0
Theory of Propulsion 5
Captured streamtube for subsonic inlet

M0=0.5
M0=1
Inlet

M0~0

Theory of Propulsion 6
 Subsonic inlet with M0>1

Streamlines don’t Streamlines must

know about shock bend away from
wave so are straight axis, so A0<A1
Theory of Propulsion 7
 Normal Shock equations

1 2
1u1   2u2
2 2
p1   u  p2   u
1 1 2 2
2 2
u u
h1  1
 h2  2
normal
2 2 shock wave

1 u2
 
2 u1
Theory of Propulsion 8
 Jump conditions across a normal shock (=constant)

1/ 2
p2 2    1 M  2  2

 1  M 12  1 M 2  u2 / a2   1

 2 M 1    1 
2
p1  1
 2 u1 q1  1
  
1 u2 q2   1  2 / M 12

T2  a2  
 2 M 2
1  
2
  1 
 
   1 M 2

1  2
  
  1 M 12
2
T1  a1 
 1
pt ,2  t ,2 
s
   1 M 12   1   1   1
 e R
   
   1 M 1  2   2 M 1    1 
2 2
pt ,1 t ,1

Theory of Propulsion 9
 Maximum mass flow in subsonic inlet at M0>1

pt,2/pt,0
1.0 A0=A1
0.8

0.6 M0>1 M<1

0.4

0.2

0 1 2 3 4 5 M0
1 2
Theory of Propulsion 10
 Subsonic inlets at M0>1
M>M0

1
shock moving inside

A0/A1
shock at lip
back
pressure
dropping

0 pitot tube

0 (pt,2/pt,0)/(pt,2/pt,0)normal shock 1

Theory of Propulsion 11
 Normal shock inlet with different p2

A0/A1=1.02

M0=1.14

A0/A1=0.91

Note: Mass flow

A0/A1=0.81 error=+0.03

Theory of Propulsion 12
 Internal compression inlet

A0=A1

M0=Ms>11
Amin

A1  A1   A0*   A0   A0* 
 *    *   
Amin  A0  M  M  Amin   A0  M  M s  Amin 
s

Theory of Propulsion 13
Internal compression inlets for M0>1

M=1 M=1 M<1

Shock Inlet
expelled started

Shock M>1 M<1 M<M0 M<1 Shock

swallowed adjusted

Theory of Propulsion 14
 Critical areas across a shock
Recall that the maximum mass flow
rate in a streamtube is Ms My
 1

pt A *     1  2 1 pt,0 pt,y
mmax  m*   
Tt R  2  Tt,0 Tt,y

*
A pt ,0  Amin pt , y
o
Shock wave
pt,0>pt,y

A1 pt , y  A  Tt,0=Tt,y
   =constant
Amin pt ,0  A *  M  M s
W=constant
Theory of Propulsion 15
Example of an internal compression
inlet with Ms=2
For M0<1
3
(A0/A1)max  A0  A0 A0*

  
2
Ms=2  A1  max A * A1

But Amin=A0*
1

 A0  A0 Amin
0    *
 A1  max A0 A1
0 1 M0 2 3

Theory of Propulsion 16
 Internal Compression inlets
 A0  A0 A0* A0 pt , y Amin
For Ms>M0>1    *  *
 A1  max A0 A1 A0 pt ,0 A1
3
(A0/A1)max
Ms=2
2 For M0>Ms

1  A0 
  1
 A1  max
0
0 1 M0 2 3

Theory of Propulsion 17
 Comparison of inlets
pt,2/pt,0

1.0

0.8 Internal
compression
0.6 inlet

0.4 Normal shock inlet

0.2

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 M0
Theory of Propulsion 18
Internal compression inlets off design
pt,2/pt,0=0.72 pt,2/pt,0=0.0.83

M0=2 M=1 M0=2 M=1.75 M<1

M0=3 M=0.65 M0=3 M=2.8 M<1

pt,2/pt,0=0.33 pt,2/pt,0=0.39

Theory of Propulsion 19
Internal compression inlet at Ms>M0>1
and M0<1
A0>A1
A0<A1

M0=1.5 M0=0.5

pt2/pt,0=0.93 pt2/pt,0=1
(A0/A1)max=1.1
(A0/A1)max=0.90
Theory of Propulsion 20
 Additive drag

  0 A0V0 V0   1 AV
1 1 V1  p0 A0  p1 A1  p  A1  A0 

pavg

p0 p1

A0

0 1 Theory of Propulsion 21
 Additive Drag (continued)
A1
 p 
F1    p  p0  dA    1  A1  A0 
A0  p0 

 A0 
 1 
F1  p  A1
cD    1  
1 2  p   1 2 
 p0 M 0 A1 0
  M0 
2 2 

Theory of Propulsion 22
 Additive drag (concluded)

p 2 M    1
2
0
7  M  1 2
0
1  1 
p0  1 6

5 1   A0 
cD  1  2  1    O 10 
1

3  M0  A1 

Theory of Propulsion 23
 isentropic compression

=arcsin(1/M) waves
 coalesce
M0

Compression
ramp

weak shock
waves
near isentropic
compression
pt~( finite turns

Theory of Propulsion 24
External compression inlets (Ferri-
Nucci inlets)

Two-shock inlet Three-shock inlet

Theory of Propulsion 25
Off-design operation and additive drag

Subcritical flow Supercritical flow

Schlieren flow visualization at M0=2
Theory of Propulsion 26
Operation at different M0

M0=1.49 M0=2.44

Theory of Propulsion 27
Operation at different M0

M0=2.73 M0=3.01

Theory of Propulsion 28
Oblique shock wave angle vs flow
deflection (=1.4)
90 



M=3
20o
M>>1
0
0  34o 46o

Theory of Propulsion 29
 Mixed compression inlets
•Reduced cowl drag
•Increased gust sensitivity
•Increased unstart distortion

external internal
compression compression

Theory of Propulsion 30
Mach 3.5 inlet model schematic

RL=cowl lip radius =24.86cm

Theory of Propulsion 31
Mixed-Compression Inlet

Theory of Propulsion 32