An air inlet for a flight vehicle engine includes at least one fin, at least partially upstream of a throat of the engine. The fin protrudes into a flow channel, extending beyond a boundary layer into the main airstream in the inlet. The fin causes mixing in the flow, bringing high-momentum flow into areas of the flow channel containing low-momentum flow by aggregating the boundary layer and causing it to lift from the surface. The fin may have a width and/or height that varies along its length in the flow direction, which may allow it to shape the flow around it in predictable ways, without resulting in excessive drag.

An air inlet for a flight vehicle engine includes at least one fin, at least partially upstream of a throat of the engine. The fin protrudes into a flow channel, extending beyond a boundary layer into the main airstream in the inlet. The fin causes mixing in the flow, bringing high-momentum flow into areas of the flow channel containing low-momentum flow by aggregating the boundary layer and causing it to lift from the surface. The fin may have a width and/or height that varies along its length in the flow direction, which may allow it to shape the flow around it in predictable ways, without resulting in excessive drag.

A jet engine uses an entrainment compressor within a housing to compress intake air. The compressed air is routed to a combustion chamber where it is ignited. A portion of the exhaust is directed outward for thrust and a portion is rerouted through an energy feedback system to one or more entrainment nozzles within the compressor housing. The exhaust acts as motive fluid to mix with the intake air. The motive fluid imparts energy to create the compressive capability of the jet engine. A startup system is configured to generate startup motive fluid selectively routed through some or all of the entrainment nozzles to initiate a stable idle flow of motive fluid. Some of the entrainment nozzles may include combustion chambers to further enhance the compressive capability of the jet engine.

Disclosed is a mechanism to exhaust refrigerant vapor resulting from operation of a thermal management system that is used to cool a thermal load by a vehicle, such as an airborne vehicle. The thermal management system includes an open circuit refrigeration system featuring a receiver configured to store a liquid refrigerant fluid, an evaporator configured to extract heat from the thermal load that contacts the evaporator, and an exhaust line, where the receiver, the evaporator, and the exhaust line are connected to provide an open refrigerant fluid flow path. Other implementations of open circuit refrigeration systems include the use of a gas receiver, a pump and an ejector are also described, as are other mechanisms to exhaust refrigerant vapor resulting from operation of the thermal management system.

Disclosed is a mechanism to exhaust refrigerant vapor resulting from operation of a thermal management system that is used to cool a thermal load by a vehicle, such as an airborne vehicle. The thermal management system includes an open circuit refrigeration system featuring a receiver configured to store a liquid refrigerant fluid, an evaporator configured to extract heat from the thermal load that contacts the evaporator, and an exhaust line, where the receiver, the evaporator, and the exhaust line are connected to provide an open refrigerant fluid flow path. Other implementations of open circuit refrigeration systems include the use of a gas receiver, a pump and an ejector are also described, as are other mechanisms to exhaust refrigerant vapor resulting from operation of the thermal management system.

The present invention relates to a tank for containing a component fluid or a mixture of components.

The present invention relates to a tank for containing a component fluid or a mixture of components.

Provided herein is a fuel injector capable of providing fuel into a jet engine operating at hypersonic speeds. Embodiments may include a system for fuel injection for an engine traveling at supersonic speeds. The system may include a fuel injection strut extending between opposing walls of an inlet to the engine, and a porous surface extending across at least a portion of the fuel injection strut. The fuel may be introduced into the inlet of the engine through the porous surface of the fuel injection strut. The porous surface of the fuel injection strut may extend along a fuel injecting portion of the fuel injection strut spaced a predefined distance from the opposing walls of the inlet. The porous portion of the fuel injection strut may include a porosity of about 100 pores per square inch or lower porosities as dictated by the specific design considerations.

A jet engine includes an inlet that takes air, and a combustor that burns fuel using the air. The combustor includes a fuel injector and an igniter for igniting a gas mixture of the air and the fuel. The igniter ignites and activates automatically by heat and pressure created by compression of the air that has been taken in through the inlet.

A method of reducing low-energy flow in a flight vehicle engine includes an isolator of the engine having a swept-back wedge to improve flow mixing. The wedge includes forward shock-anchoring locations, such as edges or rapidly-curved portions, that anchor oblique shocks in situations where the isolator has sufficient back pressure. The swept-back wedge may also create swept oblique shocks along its length. Boundary layer flow streamlines are diverted running parallel to or parallel but moving outward conically to the swept-wedge leading edge moving outboard and upward. The non-viscous flow outside the boundary layer is processed through the swept-back ramp shock and diverted outboard and upward as well. The outboard aft portion of the wedge at the sidewall intersection may also induce shocks and divert flow near the walls closer toward the walls and upward, and/or improve flow mixing.