Gas Technology Institute

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc.

William W Follett

Robert J Pederson

Stephen N Schmotolocha

Douglas M Heim

A pressurized fluidized bed combustor (PFBC) and method of operation. A heated diluent is used alone or in combination with adjustments to a combustor gas velocity, to manage the bed temperature and keep it within allowable ranges. The diluent can be taken from the combustor flue gas, and recycled and reheated through the fluidized bed.

Oxy-PFBC temperature management through staged gas injection and gas velocity management

A single-stage hypersonic vehicle is comprised of a low-speed and a high-speed propulsion system. The low-speed propulsion system propels the single-stage vehicle to a threshold velocity, after which the high-speed propulsion system then takes over. The low-speed propulsion system includes a combined-cycle engine featuring a swirl generator that is integrated into a turbojet engine to provide a compact turbojet and swirl afterburner-ramjet propulsion system. The high-speed propulsion system includes a hypersonic engine that is operable at the threshold takeover velocity and beyond. In various embodiments, the high-speed propulsion system comprises a scramjet, rocket, or scramjet/rocket engine depending requirements. Benefits of the swirl generator design include its ability to rapidly and efficiently atomize, vaporize, mix and burn the fuel and oxidizer for the low speed propulsion system, significantly reduce length, weight, cooling requirements and complexity for both propulsion systems, while maintaining high propulsion performance and reducing propulsion and launch costs.

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Calabasas, CA, United States of America

William W Follett