Plasma Shockwave Control Within High-Speed Engines

Research Area: Applied Systems & Hypersonics

Future high-speed aircraft offer the potential to significantly reduce travel time. Such aircraft will require very different engine systems compared with the standard turbofan engines used today. This is because traditional engines require a compressor in order to achieve high pressure needed for combustion. Inn aircraft flying faster than three times the speed of sound the gas can reach high pressure without a compressor. Achieving a stable and efficient air compression at these high speeds remains a significant technological challenge.

A high Mach engine typically consist of an inlet and an isolator section that decelerates and compresses the air. Shock waves and shock-boundary-layer interactions are both complex and often unstable. This project considered the use of plasma energy deposition in a supersonic diffuser in order to control the shock characteristics.