This chapter reviews important characteristics of endothermic fuels and the potential they offer to fuel a next generation of hypersonic air‐breathing vehicles. Endothermic fuels are a critical technology to enable the use of hydrocarbons at hypersonic speeds. Studies of endothermic fuel reactions were pursued in order to develop endothermic fuels that can fuel air‐breathing propulsion for high‐speed applications without resorting to cryogenic propellants. A number of system trade studies can be done to determine the heat sink requirements of a fuel for a given vehicle and mission. The fuel system, which delivered gaseous hydrogen and pyrophoric silane for ignition, was designed for a limited hypersonic velocity operation and a very short time. The chapter describes the importance of fuel selection in the design of hypersonic vehicles powered by air‐breathing propulsion systems. Efforts must continue to develop methods to increase the cooling or heat sink capacity of hydrocarbons fuels.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Fuels for Hypersonic Air‐Breathing Propulsion


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2022-11-18


    Size :

    24 pages




    Type of media :

    Article/Chapter (Book)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




    Hypersonic Air-Breathing Propulsion

    Peebles, Curtis | AIAA | 2011


    Hypersonic Air-Breathing Propulsion

    J. Swithenbank | NTIS | 1966


    Hypersonic Air-Breathing Missile Propulsion

    Waltrup, P. J. / Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1997