A G M R COLLEGE OF

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Seminar on

SCRAMJET ENGINE

By

Vinaykanth Kurkuri 2AV15ME057

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Mr. Karthik Ramadurg Asst.prof.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

2018-2019
CONTENTS
 INTRODUCTION
 WHAT IS A SCRAMJET
 COMPONENTS OF SCRAMJET ENGINE
 SIMPLE MODEL OF SCRAMJET
 PRINCIPLE OF WORKING
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
 CIVIL AND MILITARY APPLICATIONS
 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
 CONCLUSION
 REFERENCES
INTRODUCTION
 Rockets combine a liquid fuel with liquid oxygen to

create thrust.

 If the need for liquid oxygen is taken away, spacecraft

can be smaller or carry more payloads.

 This is the concept behind a different propulsion

system called “scramjet” or “super sonic combustion

ramjet”.
WHAT IS A SCRAMJET ENGINE?
 A Scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) is a variant

of a ramjet air breathing combustion jet engine in which

the combustion process takes place in supersonic

airflow.

 As in ramjets, a scramjet relies on high vehicle speed to

forcefully compress and decelerates the incoming air

before combustion (hence ramjet), but whereas a ramjet

decelerates the air to subsonic throughout the entire

engine.
 The theoretical projections place top speed of scram

between Mach 12 and Mach 24, which is near orbital

velocity.

 The fastest air-breathing plane is a SCRAMJET design,

the NASA X-43a which reached Mach 9.6 or 12,144 km/h,

on 16 Nov 2004.
COMPONENTS OF SCRAMJET ENGINE
The Scramjet is composed of three basic components:
 A CONVERGING INLET, where incoming air is
compressed and decelerates.
 A COMBUSTER, where gaseous fuel is burned with
atmospheric oxygen to produce heat.
 A DIVERGING NOZZLE, where the heated air is
accelerated to produce thrust.
SIMPLE MODEL OF SCRAMJET
PRINCIPLE OF WORKING:

INLET
 The air approaches at supersonic speed into the inlet .
 The air is heated due to compression.
 The hot air is then let into the combustion chamber.

COMBUSTION CHAMBER
 Fuel is sprayed on the hot air in the combustion chamber.
 Dissociation of fuel takes place which increases the
temperature of the air.
 The whole combustion process takes place at supersonic
speeds.
 The ignited fuel along with the air is sent into the nozzle for
exhaustion.
NOZZLE
 The gases are gushed out through the nozzle.
 The release of the gases produces forward thrust.
 The thrust produced exceeds the drag, which is the cause
for forward motion.

FUELS
 Hydrogen is the most commonly used fuel.
 Steam is produced as a by product which is eco friendly.
 Use of hydrogen eliminates the need for igniters.
ADVANTAGES
 Does not have to carry oxygen tank.
 No rotating parts makes it easier to manufacture.
 Less weight and simple design.
 As the hydrogen is used as a propellant and combustion is
carried out at supersonic velocity with the help of oxygen
from the atmosphere.
 As a result of that, steam (H2O) is being exhaust gas which
is eco-friendly in nature.

DISADVANTAGES
 A Scramjet cannot produce efficient thrust unless boosted
to high speed, around Mach 5.
 As a result an additional propulsion systems are required.
 Lack of stealth.
 Testing difficulties.
CIVIL APPLICATIONS
Tupolev tu-144 (charger)

• Introduction- 26 Dec 1975

• Highest speed- 2430km/hr

• Retired- 1 Jun 1978

CONCORDE

• Introduction- 21 Jan 1976

• Highest speed- 2179 km/hr

• Retired- 26 Nov 2003

MILITARY APPLICATION

British bloodhound missile British MBDA Meteor missile

Russian Indian Brahmos

Supersonic cruise missile
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

X-51A

SST
CONCLUSION
 Scramjet program is a fast developing field in the present
world.
 There are many application with scramjet. It provides a
cheaper and efficient access to space. Scramjet has the
potential for supersonic or hypersonic transportation.
 Scramjet technologies are also used for advanced military
applications.
REFERENCES
 Weber, Richard J.; Mackay, John S. "An Analysis of
Ramjet Engines Using Supersonic
Combustion". ntrs.nasa.gov. NASA Scientific and
Technical Information. Retrieved 3 May2016.

 "Frederick S. Billig, Ph.D." The Clark School Innovation

Hall of Fame. University of Maryland. Archived from the
original on 2010-06-09. Retrieved 2010-04-30.

 "Milestones in the history of scramjets". UQ

News. University of Queensland. 2002-07-
27. Archived from the original on 2016-02-11.
Retrieved 2016-02-11.