In News
- Recently, The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted the Hot Test of Scramjet Engine.
What is a Scramjet Engine?
- A scramjet (supersonic-combustion ramjet) is a ramjet engine in which the airflow through the engine remains supersonic, or greater than the speed of sound.
- A scramjet has no shock cone and slows the airflow using shockwaves produced by its ignition source in place of a shock cone.
- This allows the scramjet to operate efficiently at extremely high speeds.
- Scramjet powered vehicles are envisioned to operate at speeds up to at least Mach 15.
Difference Between Ramjet and Scramjet
- A scramjet is a ramjet with supersonic combustion. In ordinary ramjets, the air is decelerated to subsonic velocities before combustion, but this is not the case in a scramjet.
- Ramjets have a velocity range of 1 to 6 Mach in theory, but Scramjets have a range of 12 to 24 Mach in theory.
- Ramjets and scramjets can’t produce thrust at zero velocity, they need a lot of airflow to start.
- Scramjets have a higher specific impulse than Ramjet.
- Owing to subsonic combustion, Ramjet has greater efficiency and operability than Scramjet, which has a lesser efficiency due to supersonic combustion.
Source: TH
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