Combined cycle propulsion system for hypersonic flight
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsArin Elspeth Lastufka Cross, Krishnakumar Venkatesan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A combined cycle propulsion system for a flight vehicle includes a compressor-fed combustion engine, and a multi-mode supersonic engine. The multi-mode supersonic engine includes an adjustable inlet section, a combustion section arranged downstream of the adjustable inlet section and including a first combustor portion having at least one rotating detonation combustor and a second combustor portion having a supersonic combustion type combustor, and an adjustable exhaust nozzle section arranged downstream of the combustion section. The at least one rotating detonation combustor functions as a pilot for the supersonic combustion type combustor.
Claims20
A combined cycle propulsion system for a flight vehicle, the combined cycle propulsion system comprising:
- a compressor-fed combustion engine;
- and
- a multi-mode supersonic engine including:
- an adjustable inlet section;
- a combustion section arranged downstream of the adjustable inlet section and including a first combustor portion having at least one rotating detonation combustor and a second combustor portion having a supersonic combustion type combustor;
- and
- an adjustable exhaust nozzle section arranged downstream of the combustion section,
- wherein the at least one rotating detonation combustor functions as an ignition source for the supersonic combustion type combustor.
A method of operating a combined cycle propulsion system for a flight vehicle, the combined cycle propulsion system including a compressor-fed combustion engine, and a multi-mode supersonic engine having an adjustable inlet section, a combustion section arranged downstream of the adjustable inlet section and including a first combustor portion having at least one rotating detonation combustor and a second combustor portion having a supersonic combustion type combustor, and an adjustable exhaust nozzle section arranged downstream of the combustion section, the method comprising:
- operating the compressor-fed combustion engine to obtain a first operational flight state of the flight vehicle;
- at the first operational flight state of the flight vehicle, initiating a first transitional operation of actuating the adjustable inlet section to obtain a subsonic inlet flow of air to the first combustion portion, and initiating operation of the first combustor portion;
- initiating a compressor-fed combustion engine winddown operation to winddown operation of the compressor-fed combustion engine;
- operating the first combustor portion and actuating the adjustable inlet section and the adjustable exhaust nozzle section to obtain a second operational flight state of the flight vehicle;
- at the second operational flight state, initiating a second transitional operation of actuating the adjustable inlet section to obtain a supersonic inlet flow of air to the second combustion portion, and initiating operation of the second combustor portion utilizing the first combustor portion as a pilot;
- initiating a first combustor portion winddown operation to winddown operation of the first combustor portion;
- and
- operating the second combustor portion, the adjustable inlet section and the adjustable exhaust nozzle section to obtain a third operational flight state of the flight vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.