Experimental investigation of the effects of chamber length and boron content on boron-based gel fuel ramjet performance

摘要

The high specific impulse of the ramjet engine, coupled with the potential of a gel to carry boron particles, makes the boron-based gel fuel ramjet a most appropriate solution for a mid-high range sustainer. The current research work aims at verifying the empirical feasibility of this kind of a concept, besides studying the combustor performance. A test facility and a lab-scale motor have been designed and developed for the investigation of the impact of the chamber length and boron particle content on the combustion efficiency of the motor. As the results suggest, the combustion efficiency declines with the increasing boron particle content. Moreover, a higher combustion efficiency was attained with the longer chamber. As the mass fraction of boron particles reaches 40%, the combustion efficiency, which is based on the temperature rise, still has the potential to reach 80%.