A ram-air duct system includes a ram-air duct configured to receive a flow of ram-air from a ram-air inlet and discharge the flow to a ram-air outlet. The system also includes a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air within the ram-air duct, an auxiliary air passageway and an electrically-driven air mover configured to move a flow of auxiliary air along the auxiliary air passageway for discharge into the ram-air duct through an intermediate inlet between the ram-air inlet and the ram-air outlet. The air duct system further includes a controller configured to selectively operate the ram-air duct system in an auxiliary supply mode in which the air mover and/or a control valve are controlled to cause the flow of auxiliary air to be discharged into the duct through the intermediate inlet, to thereby control a rate of heat exchange between the heat exchanger and air within the duct.

A Brayton cycle engine and method for operation. The engine includes an inner wall assembly and an upstream wall assembly each extended from a longitudinal wall into a gas flowpath. An actuator adjusts a depth of the detonation combustion region into the gas flowpath between the inner wall assembly and the upstream wall assembly. The engine flows an oxidizer through the gas flowpath and the inner wall captures a portion of the oxidizer. The engine further adjusts the captured flow of oxidizer via the upstream wall and flows a first flow of fuel to the captured flow of oxidizer to produce rotating detonation gases. The engine flows the detonation gases downstream and to mix with the flow of oxidizer, and flows and burns a second flow of fuel to the detonation gases/oxidizer mixture to produce thrust.

A Brayton cycle engine and method for operation. The engine includes an inner wall assembly and an upstream wall assembly each extended from a longitudinal wall into a gas flowpath. An actuator adjusts a depth of the detonation combustion region into the gas flowpath between the inner wall assembly and the upstream wall assembly. The engine flows an oxidizer through the gas flowpath and the inner wall captures a portion of the oxidizer. The engine further adjusts the captured flow of oxidizer via the upstream wall and flows a first flow of fuel to the captured flow of oxidizer to produce rotating detonation gases. The engine flows the detonation gases downstream and to mix with the flow of oxidizer, and flows and burns a second flow of fuel to the detonation gases/oxidizer mixture to produce thrust.

A turboramjet has a housing with an intake and an exhaust. The housing houses a heat exchanger, a turbojet section and a ramjet section downstream of the turbojet section. The heat exchanger has an air path and a coolant path. The air path is configured to receive air from the air intake. The heat exchanger has a first section made from a first material and a second section made from a second material, the second material having a lower melting point and a lower density relative to the first material. A bypass air passage selectively bypasses the turbojet section to supply air to the ramjet section, and the coolant path uses fuel as a coolant and is configured to supply the fuel to the turbojet section.

A turboramjet has a housing with an intake and an exhaust. The housing houses a heat exchanger, a turbojet section and a ramjet section downstream of the turbojet section. The heat exchanger has an air path and a coolant path. The air path is configured to receive air from the air intake. The heat exchanger has a first section made from a first material and a second section made from a second material, the second material having a lower melting point and a lower density relative to the first material. A bypass air passage selectively bypasses the turbojet section to supply air to the ramjet section, and the coolant path uses fuel as a coolant and is configured to supply the fuel to the turbojet section.

An air-breathing turbojet engine for a hypersonic vehicle is shown. The engine comprises a pump for pumping a cryogenic fuel, an inlet configured to compress inlet air by one or more shocks, a cooler to cool the compressed inlet air using the cryogenic fuel, and a turbo-compressor to compress the air further. A precooler cools the compressed inlet air using compressed cooled air from the turbo-compressor. A combustor receives compressed cooled air from the turbo-compressor and a first portion of the cryogenic fuel for combustion. A first turbine expands and is driven by combustion products, and a second turbine expands and is driven by a second portion of the cryogenic fuel. The first turbine and the second turbine drive the turbo-compressor via a shaft. An afterburner receives combustion products from the first turbine and the second portion of the cryogenic fuel from the second turbine for combustion therein.

An air-breathing turbojet engine (101) for a hypersonic vehicle is shown. The engine comprises a pump for pumping a cryogenic fuel, an inlet (102) configured to compress inlet air by one or more shocks, a cooler (103) to cool the compressed inlet air using the cryogenic fuel, and a turbo-compressor (104) to compress the air further. A combustor (105) receives compressed cooled air from the turbo-compressor and a first portion of the cryogenic fuel for combustion. A first turbine (106) expands and is driven by combustion products, and a second turbine (107) expands and is driven by a second portion of the cryogenic fuel. The first turbine and the second turbine drive the turbo-compressor via a shaft. An afterburner (109) receives combustion products from the first turbine and the second portion of the cryogenic fuel from the second turbine for combustion therein.

An air direction arrangement for an aircraft. The air direction arrangement contains an inlet opening and an inlet channel connected thereto and which is at least partially surrounded by an outer wall. The inlet channel is configured to guide air to an engine of the aircraft. The outer wall contains at least one outlet channel and at least one outlet element. The outlet element is configured to selectively release or close the outlet channel for an air flow from the inlet channel into the environment of the aircraft. The air direction arrangement contains a heat exchanger in the outlet channel to discharge thermal energy to the air flow which is flowing from the inlet channel into the environment of the aircraft.

HYPERDRIVE receives continuous air breathing assistance from compressed atmospheric air through a high speed magnetically core driven turbine accelerator which resolves around a common flow path tunnel. The tunnel runs from the front to the back of the engine. It is assisted by a series of radial geometric ramjet engines that share the common flow path tunnel for hypersonic exhaust but has separate inlet air from a linear aerospike which governs mass flow of air, velocity of inlet air and pressure to the turbine and/or ramjets, as well as the positioning of the shock wave at the inlet to reduce aerodynamic drag. The ramjet is of hybrid engine design where it can also function as a scramjet, thus a ram-scramjet structure for combustion in a radial configuration about the engine (aft of an electrical compressor), where the common flow path tunnel also serves as a compression tunnel to compress air through a the constantly occurring series of compression shocks entering from and around the aerospike.

HYPERDRIVE receives continuous air breathing assistance from compressed atmospheric air through a high speed magnetically core driven turbine accelerator which resolves around a common flow path tunnel. The tunnel runs from the front to the back of the engine. It is assisted by a series of radial geometric ramjet engines that share the common flow path tunnel for hypersonic exhaust but has separate inlet air from a linear aerospike which governs mass flow of air, velocity of inlet air and pressure to the turbine and/or ramjets, as well as the positioning of the shock wave at the inlet to reduce aerodynamic drag. The ramjet is of hybrid engine design where it can also function as a scramjet, thus a ram-scramjet structure for combustion in a radial configuration about the engine (aft of an electrical compressor), where the common flow path tunnel also serves as a compression tunnel to compress air through a the constantly occurring series of compression shocks entering from and around the aerospike.