Design and Optimization of Two Dimensional Inlet from Perspective of Scramjet Performance

Scramjet engines are one of the most promising hypersonic airbreathing propulsion systems for efficient and economic access to space. Among them, the inlet is an important component of the scramjet engine, which plays a key role in the performance of the entire propulsion system. To improve the design level of the inlet, a rapid design method of two-dimensional inlet using a one-dimensional model is presented in this paper. At the initial design stage of the inlet, the equal shock strength method is employed to generate the initial geometry under inviscid flow conditions. Following this, the newly proposed boundary-layer correction design methodology is applied. The design results show that mass flow rate is effectively increased by the boundary-layer correction design. Furthermore, the one-dimensional model of overall scramjet engine incorporating inlet design functionality is also established and validated. Based on the one-dimensional model, the inlet geometry parameters under multiple constraints are optimized from the perspective of entire engine performance. Moreover, the optimization result is consistent with one-dimensional model calculation, proving the correctness of the optimization method. The successful establishment of this optimization framework will offer valuable reference for optimizing the flowpath configuration of scramjet engines.