Supersonic Ramjet Engine Inlet for Jovian Flight

TL;DR

This paper presents a combined analytical and CFD approach to designing a supersonic ramjet inlet for Jovian atmospheric flight, incorporating nuclear heating for thrust generation due to lack of oxygen.

Contribution

It introduces a novel methodology integrating theoretical calculations and CFD simulations for designing a Jovian ramjet inlet with nuclear heating considerations.

Findings

Validated analytical and CFD models for inlet design

Determined key parameters like pressure losses and mass flow

Estimated reactor power and thrust for Jovian flight

Abstract

This paper discusses the analysis performed on a supersonic ramjet engine inlet for flight in the atmosphere of Jupiter. Since the Jovian atmosphere lacks oxygen, the thrust will be generated by nuclear fission heating in the heat chamber. The first task to solve in the design in a ramjet engine is to design the supersonic inlet. The developed design methodology utilizes theoretical calculations and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The analytical model used to calculate the gas parameters in front of the heat chamber, and the CFD analysis, used to define the inlet geometry, are discussed. The results from the analytical model and CFD are compared and used for validation of the design approach. The calculated pressure losses and the mass flow allow the determination of important parameters required for the design of the aircraft, such as the reactor power, the thrust, the maximum mass, and the overall external dimensions.