Adaptive Control and Advanced Sensing for Turbine Based Combined Cycle Vehicles

Development of air vehicles capable of routine operation and able to achieve hypersonic speeds is paced by the availability of a propulsion system. The vision is to combine improved off-the-shelf turbines for low-speed operation (M=0 to 2+) and dual-mode ramjet (DMSJ) engine technologies for high-speed operation (M=2+ to 5+), with both engines sharing a common air inlet and a common thrust producing nozzle. Critical to the success of this Turbine Based Combined Cycle (TBCC) concept is the mode transition from thrust production by the turbine to the DMRJ, as the inlet air is diverted from the turbine to the DMRJ while the vehicle accelerates. Smooth, stable mode transition while maintaining thrust generation is a critical challenge. To meet this challenge, Innoveering willo build an advanced sensing approach to monitor the inlet flow, highly responsive actuators, and an adaptive, closed-loop control system to maintain started flow in both the low-speed and high-speed flow paths while the TBCC engine executes mode transition. This same system will deliver maximum performance from the turbine and DMRJ engines over their respective operating ranges, improving the overall efficiency, range, and payload capacity of the TBCC-powered hypersonic air vehicle.