Questions tagged [scramjet]

A jet engine that uses ram pressure to compress incoming air, and where the airflow throughout the entire engine is at supersonic speeds.

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3 answers
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How efficient is a Scramjet?

I searched about the subject, but I couldn't find any place where the overall efficiency of the scramjet is compared to the other types of engines. All they say is how the "Scramjet is more ...
mandiokai's user avatar
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12 votes
3 answers
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Is the compressor required on jet engines? Can air be rammed into the turbine?

In the context of a common airliner (say Boeing 777), when the airplane is on the ground, and the turbines are on, air is getting sucked in and compressed/bypassed. The engine has to do work to ...
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3 answers
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Are there any planes that have ramjet or scramjet engines?

Are there any planes that have ramjet or scramjet engines? If so, how did they reach the required mach speed for the engines to start functioning?
securitydude5's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
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What is the effect of Mach number on efficiency, thrust and specific fuel consumption of a ramjet engine?

My graphs show that overall efficiency and thrust first increase, reach a peak and then fall in the supersonic range (M=1-5) whereas SFC first drops and then increases rapidly near M 5. Why does this ...
Ashish Rana's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
407 views

Could hydrazine be used as a scramjet propellant?

Hydrazine is used a monopropellant in Satellite OMS rockets. But interestingly enough, it's highly exothermic decomposition into ammonia, nitrogen, and hydrogen provides heat for an endothermic ...
Mr X's user avatar
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4 votes
0 answers
96 views

How can the 3M22 Zircon receive commands at high speeds?

According to its Wikipedia article, the scramjet-powered 3M22 Zircon missile is capable of achieving speeds of up to Mach 9, at which a plasma may be created around the missile. The article further ...
Sixtyfive's user avatar
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Does/Can combustion instabilities occur in SCRAM jet?

I was told that combustion occurs at Supersonic speeds in SCRAM jet. So acoustic disturbances/ pressure fluctuations can't travel into incoming jet stream. Does this avoids combustion instabilities in ...
SRD's user avatar
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3 votes
5 answers
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Is it possible for a ramjet to start from 0 velocity?

I was wondering if it is possible for a ramjet to start from 0 velocity. I know its working principle and all, but is there any missile or aircraft that completely uses ramjet, with no rotating part ...
J. Brown's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
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Is the engine of 3M22 Zircon truly scramjet?

I have the impression that no scramjet has been realized so far. But the engine of 3M22 Zircon is reported to be a scramjet. Is it really a scramjet?
Hans's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is there a viable alternative to liquid hydrogen as a fuel for scramjets?

Given the difficulty and complexities of storing liquid hydrogen for commercial flight and the high velocity of air passing through a scramjet, do other types of fuel provide a feasible alternative ...
securitydude5's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
289 views

What mechanism or design aspect prevents jet blast from escaping the front of a Ramjet or scram jet?

Enormous air pressures result in the thrust of a Scram jet or ramjet engine, more so the pressure required to drive the aircraft forward at supersonic and hypersonic speeds. Given that these engines ...
securitydude5's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
756 views

why does the flow need to decelerate (by a thermal throat) in a scramjet?

I have a question about the thermal throat in a scramjet. From my textbook: "The scramjet, on the other hand, needs an area increase as combustion occurs. For this reason, on the scramjet the ...
Frosty's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Hypothetical Ramjet-Scramjet-Rocket Combination?

Theoretically, could a ramjet-scramjet-rocket combination exist that operations like a rocket for taking off(below operations speeds from the ramjet or scramjet) or in space, and then switch to ramjet/...
itisyeetimetoday's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
99 views

What is the operating temperarature of a scram jet at its theoretical maximum speed?

What is the operating temperature of a scram jet at its theoretical maximum speed of Mach 24? For those with access to a simulator and do such simulators exist and are they possible? Given this ...
securitydude5's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
419 views

Could liquid alkali metal fuels be used for ramjet/scramjet propulsion?

In particular, I'm thinking about lithium, but sodium could be considered as well. Lithium has low molecular weight, very high propellant density, and low melting point. At sufficiently high ...
Mr X's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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What technical problems stopped scramjets from being used on hypersonic aircraft?

I have been researching hypersonic aircraft and scramjet engines after running a few calculations looking at ramjet/rocket hybrids for making single stage to orbit vehicles. After doing the analysis ...
user11377's user avatar
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1 vote
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The state of the art of scramjet engine

What is the state of the art of the scramjet engine? Which nation is at the envelope of that technology? This is a follow-up to this question.
Hans's user avatar
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Would a ramjet be able to fly at 1% of sea level atmosphere and pure oxygen? [duplicate]

1% (0.01 atm) of the sea level pressure is a bit less pressure than at the SR-71 Blackbird's highest altitudes. If all that atmosphere was 100% oxygen (instead of 21%), would a (sc)ramjet still be ...
Giovanni's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
341 views

Rocket Thrust vs Air breathing jet engine why is a rocket better [duplicate]

What are design dynamics that give the rocket engine higher thrust than an air breathing jet engine of similar size in comparison to a turbo jet engine, turbo fan engine, high by pass turbo fan engine,...
securitydude5's user avatar