Experts from the Perm National Research Polytechnic University (PNRPU) selected the optimal composition of granular rocket fuel for ramjet engines of rockets and jet aircraft. socialbites.ca was told about this by the press service of the scientific institution.
The design of the ramjet engine is simple and has a minimum number of components. Its thrust is provided by the combustion of fuel and the formation of a jet stream. The installation consists of a diffuser, combustion chamber and nozzle, as well as auxiliary fuel supply and ignition systems. Such engines are installed on cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft flying at speeds ranging from 2,400 to 6,100 kilometers per hour (Mach two to five).
Polytechnicians made individual calculations about substances and their various combinations, determining temperature, density and mass fraction. To select the appropriate fuel composition, scientists used a special program to calculate the behavior of these combinations during the operation of the aircraft at an altitude of 30 kilometers.
As part of the research, experts selected commonly used components of rocket fuels (HMX, ammonium perchlorate, divinyl copolymer) and little-known but promising components with high thermal content (azepines) – this is the amount of thermal energy released during the combustion of fuel. a unit of fuel.
Granulated fuel is not currently used in ramjet engines. As a study by experts of Perm Polytechnic shows, such a solution is possible and effective when choosing the optimal fuel composition.
“The fuel is in granular form, which gives it fluidity and the ability to regulate flow rate when fed. The granule itself is a particle of oxidizer covered with a layer of fuel. This mixture is difficult to achieve with separate feeding. Additionally, combining fuel components reduces the required amount of air supplied to the afterburner; which will make it possible to use such an engine at high altitudes, in thin layers of the atmosphere,” Grigory Dotkin, a graduate student at the Department of Rocketry and Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems at PNIPU, told socialbites.ca.
Previously in Russia announced Development of a cryogenic power plant for aircraft.