Scramjet

A scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) is a special type of ramjet jet engine where fuel combustion takes place while the air in the engine is moving faster than the speed of sound. In a ramjet, air is slowed to subsonic (slower than the speed of sound) speeds before fuel is burned. Unlike ramjets, scramjets do not use shock cones to compress incoming air; instead, shock waves from inside the engine compress the air by slowing it down very quickly. This means that scramjets can operate very efficiently at extremely high speeds. However, a scramjet relies on the aircraft moving much faster than the speed of sound in order to work; scramjets do not work at subsonic, or even low supersonic, speeds.

As of November 2022, scramjets are still experimental. This means that they have not been used on commercial airliners or in active military scenarios. Successful scramjet tests have been conducted, however.

 Advantages and disadvantages 

 Advantages 

 Does not need to carry oxidizer
 No complex parts makes it easy to build
 Has a higher specific impulse than a rocket engine
 Could provide easy access to space in the future due to high top speed

 Disadvantages 

 Difficult and expensive testing/development
 Needs a separate engine to get it up to speed

 References 

Category:Mechanics

de:Staustrahltriebwerk#Überschallverbrennung im Scramjet