Supercharged Ejector Ramjet (SERJ)
I've been doing some reading on Supercharged Ejector Ramjet (SERJ) engines, and from what I remember reading it used a series of ejector rockets to effectively entrain air and force additional air through the ramjet allowing it to function at low airspeeds with a fan added at the front of the engine, driven by a separate turbine at the front of the engine, to enhance the effect by drawing in air and compressing it prior to it going into the duct. Some designs to function at higher speeds had the means for the fan to rotate out of the duct.
The part I seem to have difficulty grasping is how they managed to keep the fuel consumption down -- rocket engines guzzle gas at unbelievably high rates which is why they aren't used in most aircraft designs -- unless they planned to shut the rockets down once they were flying fast enough to keep the ramjet running by itself.
While I'm at it, modern day they could use a pulse-detonation engine in lieu of the rockets correct?
Last edited by Jane-DoH; 28th May 2011 at 20:22.