IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE HYPERSONIC PRECOOLED COMBINED CYCLE ENGINE (HPCCE)

Jay Kapasiawala, Dean Jean P. Antoine Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Abstract

The idea of the Hypersonic Precooled Combined Cycle Engine (HPCCE) encompasses
a wide variety of aircraft engines, though at a fundamental level, this terminology
refers to an engine in which multiple operating modes are used to propel the aircraft
with a single flowpath (Takeshi). Such an engine is used to propel an aircraft to
hypersonic speeds, speeds that are typically defined as above Mach 5, or about 1,715
m/s. Some of the most efficient rocket designs involve using liquid hydrogen as fuel,
due to it yielding the highest specific impulse, the use of a scramjet engine to use
supersonic airflow in combustion, and lightweight, high-temperature alloys such as
Inconel X alloys. These features, when combined and configured with specific
parameters for engine size, fixed temperatures of components, and a unique
fuselage, can comprise a highly efficient hypersonic aircraft that could be more
powerful than the state-of-the-art. The goal of the work done here is to identify the
key traits in a hypersonic aircraft that, if adjusted, can increase the power, speed, and
efficiency of the aircraft, the last of which is typically measured in specific impulse.