Hybrid propulsion parametric and modular model: a novel engine analysis tool conceived for design optimization

The development of a new, efficient means of access to space would yield a giant leap in the viability of many proposals for space exploitation and exploration that are currently being considered. One proposal is to employ so-called ‘space planes,’ designed to follow an airliner-like mission profile, in order to achieve the considerable savings in the cost of access to space that will be required. Further development of propulsion technology, particularly air-breathing propulsion systems, is fundamental to yielding a practical space plane, however. Although the development of such technology for high speeds is still in its infancy, in recent years some promising full scale tests of the so-called scramjet engine concept have been performed. This paper describes initial steps towards the construction of an engineering tool, called the Hybrid Propulsion Parametric-Modular Model, which can be used to study the behaviour of scramjets through the use of simplified numerical models, aided and supported by advanced Computational Fluid Dynamic simulations and experimental data where appropriate. The Hybrid Propulsion Parametric-Modular Model is conceived to be modular and flexible, and to be fully parametric. It is intended to facilitate the consideration, from the earliest phases of the design process, of several critically-important aspects of the propulsion system and its interaction with the vehicle. The greatest benefit of the model, given its limited computational cost, is expected to be however in the performance of multi-disciplinary optimization studies where it will be employed as part of a more generic systems-based model for characterising the performance of the next generation of space access vehicles.