Effects of External Heat Addition on Supersonic Cruise Performance

Abstract

SummaryHeat addition in the external flow around a supersonic aircraft may produce a field of increased pressure and thereby a propulsive and a lifting force. Less specifically, such effects could be produced by alternative processes involving the gradual expenditure of energy stored in an aircraft, and, according to the process, could be available at hyper-, super-, or subsonic speeds. A generalised study is made of associated effects on cruising range. Results are presented as performance “frameworks,” within which future experimental or analytic data should define regions of feasibility for particular systems.

The domain of the scramjet

“…It appears that with external combustion, global crossrange may be achievable even though airbreathing combus- tion would be needed only below M 0 ≈ 10. This reasoning effectively combines some cruise and re-entry studies (Townend 1962(Townend , 1966(Townend , 1978Cuadra & Arthur 1966) in the 1960s, with recent APECS assessments of a Space Station ambulance. East (this issue) and Nonweiler (this issue) have reported on two designs of Space Station ambulance (see figure 8).…”

Maximum Range of Hypersonic Ramjets

“…For example, Probert and Mallinson (1) , and Bragg (2) have pointed out the advantages of jet deflection in producing extra lift with little penalty in decreased thrust. Townend (3) has drawn attention to producing thrust or lift on high-speed aircraft by external heat addition, and has calculated the effects on the range of the aircraft.…”