A Low-cost, Carbon-free Plasma Propulsion System for Super-/Hyper-sonic Air Vehicles

This STTR phase-I proposal is submitted jointly by Spectral Energies, LLC (SE) and Iowa State University (with Prof. Hui Hu) to develop a novel, microwave-sustained air plasma propulsion (MSAPP) system to power future supersonic/hypersonic air vehicles. The proposed MSAPP system is based on a novel concept of efficiently converting electric energy to airflow kinetic energy via generation of a high-temperature and high-speed microwave-sustained air plasma jet for the thrust generation. While the proposed MSAPP system is a purely electric-based propulsion system without consuming any fossil fuels or propellants, it can generate sufficient thrusts comparable to conventional aero-engines to power supersonic/hypersonic air vehicles under various atmospheric conditions with zero carbon emissions. The proposed MSAPP system will be designed, manufactured, and tested in the laboratory and field. It can significantly increase the capabilities of the electrical-based propulsion systems. The final developed commercial product (large-scale) may also be retrofitted to the existing supersonic/hypersonic flight vehicles for various USAF missions.