Nowadays there is a growing demand for improvement in rocket and air-breathing performance and safety. There is a huge potential in combining ramjet engines with gel fuel that can carry boron particles. Ramjet engines combined with gel fuel and metal additives can be used for tactical missiles that can, theoretically, reach strategic missile ranges. Gel fuels combine the benefits of both liquid and solid fuels, in terms of safety and performance. Moreover, they allow addition of metal particles without sedimentation, thus increasing the energetic performance.
In order to experimentally verify the feasibility of such a concept, a lab-scale Ramjet combustor was designed and built and a parametric investigation was conducted. The test facility included a vitiated air heater to simulate flight conditions and a fuel supply system. The fuel that was used in this research was a kerosene-based gel fuel, combined with boron powder. More than 150 valid tests were conducted which included various boron loadings. The parametric investigation included the effect of pressure, boron content, fuel/air ratio and more. The experimental results indicate that the concept of the Gel Fuel Ramjet combustor is feasible. Recommendations for additional research that should be conducted in the future will be presented at the end of the talk.
