HVEPS Scramjet-Driven MHD Power Demonstration Test Results

Abstract

Under the US Air Force sponsored Hypersonic Vehicle Electric Power System (HVEPS) program the authors’ organizations are collaborating on research and development of scramjet driven magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) power for an advanced high power, airborne electric power system. This program has been active for the past five years with various technical tasks being addressed that have encompassed engineering investigations of a myriad of technical issues related to airborne hypersonic MHD power system integration and operation. In the latest effort of this program an integrated scramjet-driven MHD power demonstration ground test program was successfully accomplished in December 2006. The MHD power demonstration tests were conducted in the UTRC scramjet test cell wherein modifications to the test cell were made to install an in-line, direct fired MHD generator test article downstream of the facility’s scramjet combustor. The heat sink 60 DWC MHD generator channel was situated within the bore of a 2.0 Tesla split-coil superconducting magnet. The MHD power demonstration tests consisted of two series of scramjet firings on separate days at peak magnetic field strengths of 1.48 and 1.8 Tesla. In all tests, significant levels of MHD electric power were produced at different MHD generator resistive load settings. The peak MHD performance achieved at near maximum power operating conditions was a level of 14.8 kW of power electric output which was well within the range targeted by the HVEPS program. This paper presents the experimental data from the scramjet driven MHD demonstration tests and provides MHD performance analysis of these data in reference to scramjet combustion efficiency and plasma non-uniformity effects.