TEST-RESULTS OF THE AIR TURBO RAMJET FOR A FUTURE SPACE PLANE

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) has been engag ed in the development study on the Air Turbo Ramjet (ATR) engine since 1986 in cooperation with the Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Co. Ltd (IHI). The ATR is one of the most preferable candidates for the p ropulsion system of a future space plane. Our ATR engine is a combined cycle air breathing propulsion system which consists of the turbojet and the fan boosted ramjet using the liquid hydrogen as a fuel. This e ngine system was named ''ATREX'' after employing the expander cycle. T he ATREX is energized by thermal energy extracted regeneratively in bo th the pre-cooler installed in the air intake and the heat exchanger i n combustion chamber. The ATREX works in the flight condition from sea level static up to Mach 6 at 35 km altitude. The ATREX employs the ti p turbine configuration for compactness of turbo machinery. We are ass essing the feasibility of the ATREX system by the sea level static tes ts using the 1/4-scale model (ATREX-500) with a fan inlet diameter of 300 mm and overall length of 2120 mm. In 1990, the ATREX-500 engine wa s tested in a sea level static condition to verify the performance cha racteristics of the turbo machinery and the combustor. In September of 1991, the heat exchanger was installed in the combustion chamber and tested independently from the turbo system. In November of 1991, the h eat exchanger was coupled with the turbo system and tested to verify t he overall system of the ATREX. In this paper are presented the test r esults of the ATREX-500 engine tested in the sea level static conditio n.