Implementation of magnetohydrodynamic energy bypass process for hypersonic vehicles

The global political structure has changed dramatically since die breakup of the former Soviet Union. World changes have caused the U.S. to reprioritize its national hypersonic needs. The United States government has looked the need of the future, and hypersonic aerospace plane is one of the systems included in alternative force structures. One of the hypersonic aerospace plane concepts would involve magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) technology, or the AJAX hypersonic flight vehicle concept, originally proposed by Russian scientist Vladimir Fraishtadt. This paper is to report the performance analysis results for an air-breathing horizontal take-off and landing design concept using an MHD energy bypass injector ramjet engine. Quasi one-dimensional electromagnetic code with new Scramjct model and other tools were used to examine the total system performance. Both cruiser and space launch propulsion configurations have been investigated. Additional fuel reforming and magnet design information will also be discussed. The overall operational concept was examined to determine the overall cost effectiveness.