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Christopher D. Marley
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Advisor: Dr. David Riggins
Abstract
Energy deposition, by means of lasers, microwaves, etc., in the free stream of high speed vehicles has been shown to alter the shockwave formations preceding the vehicle. Also, numerical simulations have demonstrated the ability of energy deposition in front of blunt bodies to reduce drag by up to 50 percent. Issues with hypersonic vehicles are not restricted to high drag forces; another significant problem is engine unstart. In this project, an alternative use of energy deposition was studied. The goal was to demonstrate the ability of energy deposition to restart an unstarted engine inlet. A model problem was formulated and studied numerically. The two-dimensional model simulated a scramjet and consisted of a thin cowl with energy added uniformly to act as an analogy to combustion. At a free-stream Mach number of ten, energy was added at a rate of one megawatt to the combustor section and flow was established in the engine. The Mach number was then reduced to six with the energy addition in the combustor section held constant at which point engine unstart occurred. The energy in the combustor section was reduced by 30 percent but the engine remained unstarted. It was then shown that, by adding energy to the free- stream at various rates and locations, the engine restarted. The results of this study are promising; however, a more realistic model problem, consisting of an inlet, combustor and nozzle, is proposed and should be studied further.
Christopher Marley was originally from North Chicago Illinois where his father was an instructor at Great Lakes Naval Station. After his father retired from the navy, Chris and his family moved to Springfield Missouri. After graduating from Parkview High School in Springfield, Chris went on to major in aerospace engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Chris is currently a senior and hopes to follow in his father's footsteps by one day becoming a teacher.
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