standing oblique detonation ramjet engine (SODramjet)

[Asteroza]

So apparently a forgotten NASA concept called the standing oblique detonation ramjet engine (they call it sodramjet, but it might also be categorically called a shcramjet or ODWE?) was recently resurrected and physically demonstrated, and was published in a chinese academic journal.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3111985/chinese-team-test-jet-engine-able-reach-anywhere-earth-within-2


Sadly no obvious link to the chinese paper in the article, but a likely candidate is the following

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1000936120305227


The source idea came from a NASA 1980 paper by Richard Morrison apparently.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search?q=ramjet&author=Morrison,%20R.%20B.


The chinese researchers think highly of it, but this is a basic demonstration rig, and in no way represents a flight engine. The need to seed the inbound airflow with hydrogen via upstream fuel injector struts seems a bit problematic.


I couldn't help but think, with the external fuel injection, it's not that far from the old flaming pumpkin seed external combustion scramjet concept...

[john smith 19]

So apparently a forgotten NASA concept called the standing oblique detonation ramjet engine (they call it sodramjet, but it might also be categorically called a shcramjet or ODWE?) was recently resurrected and physically demonstrated, and was published in a chinese academic journal.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3111985/chinese-team-test-jet-engine-able-reach-anywhere-earth-within-2


Sadly no obvious link to the chinese paper in the article, but a likely candidate is the following

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1000936120305227


The source idea came from a NASA 1980 paper by Richard Morrison apparently.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search?q=ramjet&author=Morrison,%20R.%20B.


The chinese researchers think highly of it, but this is a basic demonstration rig, and in no way represents a flight engine. The need to seed the inbound airflow with hydrogen via upstream fuel injector struts seems a bit problematic.


I couldn't help but think, with the external fuel injection, it's not that far from the old flaming pumpkin seed external combustion scramjet concept...

It took the SCramjet 44 years to generate thrust that exceeded drag.

I like the fact that Chinese are willing to consider that it might not be quite the wonder engine it's advocates have endlessly claimed it to be "If only we had a few more $Bn"

[Genial Precis]

I read the linked research paper. It seems like productive basic research on hypersonic combustion.

The Popular Mechanics reporting is amazingly bad. The tone of the article is as if this test rig were a working missile. Science reporting is such a dumpster fire...

[Dalhousie]

I read the linked research paper. It seems like productive basic research on hypersonic combustion.

The Popular Mechanics reporting is amazingly bad. The tone of the article is as if this test rig were a working missile. Science reporting is such a dumpster fire...

Asa friend of mine once said, PM is science for rednecks.....

[edzieba]

The key quote from SCMP:

A Shanghai-based researcher studying hypersonic aerodynamics said the experiment was probably conducted “a while ago”. China’s hypersonic programme is much shrouded in secrecy because of its potential for military application, and the studies published in academic journals have been vetted carefully, he said.

The question is how long that 'while' is. If it's a few months or a year, then this is still in wind-tunnel mode or possibly just looking into strapping it to the nearest rocket as a flying test-bench. If that 'while' is closer to a decade, this could be into or post the standalone prototype vehicle stage and looking towards prototypes of operational vehicles.

[john smith 19]

The key quote from SCMP:
The question is how long that 'while' is. If it's a few months or a year, then this is still in wind-tunnel mode or possibly just looking into strapping it to the nearest rocket as a flying test-bench. If that 'while' is closer to a decade, this could be into or post the standalone prototype vehicle stage and looking towards prototypes of operational vehicles.

Then I'd guess the key question is wheather the "new" hypersonic wind tunnel mentioned in the article is still under construction or was it built a couple of years ago?

I strongly doubt it will be enough to rid the US community of its fixation on the SCramjet as the only path to  reliable M5+ flight.

[CameronD]

I strongly doubt it will be enough to rid the US community of its fixation on the SCramjet as the only path to  reliable M5+ flight.

...Unless it is shown to actually work, in which case someone in the US community may deem the idea it worthy of consideration... before, eventually, returning to their previously-held fixation.

[john smith 19]

I strongly doubt it will be enough to rid the US community of its fixation on the SCramjet as the only path to  reliable M5+ flight.

...Unless it is shown to actually work, in which case someone in the US community may deem the idea it worthy of consideration... before, eventually, returning to their previously-held fixation.

I had hopes the pulse detonation engine would do this. Once someone funded it it proved quite easy to get a flight test model which seemed to work quite well.

And that was the last that was heard from it. 

[Asteroza]

I strongly doubt it will be enough to rid the US community of its fixation on the SCramjet as the only path to  reliable M5+ flight.

...Unless it is shown to actually work, in which case someone in the US community may deem the idea it worthy of consideration... before, eventually, returning to their previously-held fixation.

I had hopes the pulse detonation engine would do this. Once someone funded it it proved quite easy to get a flight test model which seemed to work quite well.

And that was that was heard from it. 

Well, the new hotness is rotating detonation wave engines, with research active in the US, japan, and china. I think the japanese are going to try a flight demo on a sounding rocket.

I think the SODramjet suffers from the the upstream fuel injection being a practical implementation issue, but maybe something clever can be done. Never say never to redneck engineering...

[Asteroza]

Looks like University of Central Florida (UCF) put out some stuff on oblique wave detonation wave engine research they did, showing a stable continuous central detonation in a combustion chamber. Confirming some stuff with regards to the chinese research?

https://www.pnas.org/content/118/20/e2102244118

[Vahe231991]

There's a recent duplicate thread about the shcramjet engine (also called sodramjet or oblique detonation wave engine):
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=58991.0