Patent ID: 9745921
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: B64D,F02K,F23R,Y02T

Claim:
1. A process for operating a dual-mode combustor, comprising the steps of: using an inlet contraction chamber to compress combustion air into a combustion air passageway; injecting fuel from said combustion air passageway into said combustion air in said combustion air passageway creating a fuel-air mixture; feeding said fuel-air mixture from said combustion air passageway into a diffusion section; igniting said fuel-air mixture in said diffusion section and combusting said fuel-air mixture in said diffusion section and in a combustion chamber, where a portion of the combusting fuel-air mixture engages a flame holder affixed to the combustion chamber to stabilize the combusting fuel-air mixture; evacuating said combusted fuel-air mixture from said combustion chamber and into a variable area nozzle throat; and, modulating and positioning said variable area nozzle throat according to an algorithm creating and controlling the position of a terminal shock within said diffusion section, said algorithm being a function of flight Mach number; and further comprising the step of not engaging said flame holder with said portion of the combusting fuel-air mixture in a scramjet mode, and wherein said step of modulating and positioning a variable area nozzle throat according to an algorithm creating and controlling said position of said terminal shock within said diffusion section, includes transitioning, using said algorithm, said dual-mode combustor from a ramjet mode to said scramjet mode by opening said variable area nozzle throat at a specified flight Mach number.