MHD Energy Bypass Engine:

A Progress Report

Unmeel B. Mehta
NASA Ames Research Center

David W. Bogdanoff and Chul Park

ELORET Corporation

NASA JPL/MSFC Twelfth Advanced Space

Propulsion Research Workshop
University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL, April 3-5, 2001

1
 Outline

• Motivation and Objective

• Equilibrium ionization versus
nonequilibrium ionization
• National MHD Accelerator Facility

2
 Electromagnetic
Energy
Management

• Objective
− Hypersonic AYAKS-type concept evaluation, research,
technology, and development
• Output
− Assessment of MHD energy bypass engine concepts for
space transportation
– National MHD Accelerator Facility
• Outcome
– AYAKS-type concepts may contribute to reducing cost to
access space and enable global reach
– Increased enthalpy levels for testing in the ARC’s 20 MW
arc-jet facility
3

• Air Ionization
− Equilibrium vs. non-
equilibrium
− Electrical conductivity
− Power density requirement
• Flight-Weight Magnets
− Superconductor technology
− Ultra-light-weight
assemblies
• Intelligent Controls
Major MHD Issues
• MHD Performance
− Accelerator performance
• Optimum load factors
• Losses in boundary layers
− Optimal design of MHD
devices
− Generator-accelerator
coupling
4
 MHD Energy Bypass Scramjet Propulsion:
Research, Technology, and Development
Contribute to NASA’s goal, increase safety and reduce
cost for space transportation, by significantly improving
Goal the scramjet performance and reliability
Project Objective
Energy management with MHD for
improved scramjet performance

Tech Challenges
Airframe/Engine Flight-Weight
Integration Ionization of Air MHD Accelerator MHD Devices

Approaches
Conductive and
Vehicle Development
Facility Theoretical Non-conductive, ultra-high
of Integrated temperature materials
Analysis Tools Development & Studies
and magnets
Experimental
EAST Facility Studies: Non-
Ionization & equilibrium Advanced
Equilibrium
Arc-Jet Tools
Lorentz Forces Ionization Ionization
Facility Development

5
 Schematic View of a Spaceliner

reactors

nozzle

h
pitch P
h

6
 Propulsive Flow Path Along A Two-
Plane Compression System
y, j, Ey
Ramp angle θ Side view
x,u

B H
h
Streamline
1st Shock 2nd Shock 3rd Shock 4th Shock

P h

Reactor

Plan view
Cowl leading edge
Shock waves and cesium or potassium seed
assist in achieving equilibrium ionization.
ionization 7
 Optimum Configurations
(V = 3.75 km/s, M c = 1.5, H = 7 m, α1 = 1/0.95, α2 = 0.95)

Two-plane compression system

MHD

7m
17.1o
non-MHD

7m
22.1o

46 m

8
 2000

Mc = 1.5, H = 7 m
α1 = 0.95, α2 = 1/0.95
1500
Specific impulse, sec

1000

non-MHD with friction

non-MHD, without friction
500 MHD, K seed, with friction
MHD, K seed, without friction
MHD,Cs seed, with friction
MHD, Cs seed, without friction
typical rocket
0
3000 3200 3400 3600 3800 4000
Flight velocity, m/s
 Overall Performance
(V = 3.75 km/s, Mc = 1.5, α1 = 1/0.95, α2 = 0.95)
MHD Devices
Generator Accelerator

Electrical conductivity 32.42 mho/m 35.87 mho/m

Ionization fraction 4.294 x 10 -5 5.583 x 10-5
Magnetic field 12.74 Tesla 11.28 Tesla
Hall parameter (avg.) 3.524 2.319
Current density (avg.) -6.6 x 104 A/m2 3.96 x 104 A/m2
Power transferred 6.85 x 108 W/m 6.85 x 108 W/m

Vehicle performance
Energy bypass ratio 0.282
Specific impulse 649.5 sec

10
 Four-Shock Designs
1st ramp

3rd ramp

Configuration 1
flow

2nd ramp

MHD generator
combustor nozzle
MHD accelerator transition

1st ramp

3rd ramp

Configuration 2
flow

2nd ramp

MHD generator

combustor nozzle
MHD accelerator
11
 Typical Variation of Gas Temperature
and Required External Power
8
3000 8x10

2500 equilibration
equil distance xeq

External power density q, W/m

6
Configurations 0-2, V = 3500 m/s
Temperature T and Te, K

2000 θ = 6 deg equilibrium calc

gas temperature T starts here
vibron temperature Te
external power density q total external power
1500 expended: P = 493 MW 4

1000
2

3
500
initial impulsive external power
expended: P0 = 106 MW
0 0
30.0 30.2 30.4 30.6 30.8 31.0 31.2
Distance from nose tip x, m
12
 External-to-Flow Power Ratio
0.8
V = 2500 m/s
Configurations 0-2
2750
External power (P)/ flow power η2/η3

3000
0.6 3250

3500

0.4

0.2

4500 4250 4000 3750

0.0
5 10 15 20 25
Ramp angle θ, deg
13
 External-to-Generator Power Ratio
5
V = 2500 m/s
External power/generator output power η2

Configurations 1, 2
4
2750

3
3000

3250
2
3500
3750
1 4000
4250
4500
0
5 10 15 20 25
Ramp angle θ, deg
14
 Comparison of Specific Impulses
V = 3.75 km/s, q = 1 atm, M c < 1.503,
m f = 378.3 kg/s/m, Vehicle height = 7 m, Comb. = 0.45 m
MHD gen. length = 2.72 m, & MHD accel. length = 2.85 m
800
700 Con. 1 Con. 1 Con. 1 Con. 3 SSME
600
Isp , 500
sec
400
300
200
100
0
M H D Non-MHD Rocket
Equil. Nonequil.

15
 MHD Accelerator Facility Program
Objective …
• National Facility for MHD-Bypass Engine Technology
− Demonstrate MHD accelerator technology
− Validate theoretical/computational predictive tools
− Create National MHD Accelerator Facility
Approach …
• Technology demonstration project s
− Conduct a pilot MHD accelerator study in the EAST Facility at NASA
Ames Research Center (ARC)
− NASA MSFC Phase III FAST Track of Air Force Phase II SBIR with
LyTEC LLC as prime contractor
• Design and demonstrate a pilot MHD accelerator for 1MW arc-jet at MSFC
• Design an MHD accelerator of 20MW arc-jet at ARC
• Develop National Facility at NASA ARC
− EAST MHD Accelerator Facility
− Arc-Jet MHD Accelerator Facility
16
 MHD Accelerator in the EAST
Facility: Objectives
• Determine
− Back EMFs (no power input)
− Flow acceleration and joule heating
− Best load factor and Hall parameter attainable
• Measure true conductivity, with and without
magnetic field
• Investigate
− Shorting in parallel boundary layers due to locally high load
factor
− Energy loss in perpendicular boundary layers due to cathode
and anode fall heating
− Faraday connected channel (Hall connected channel possible
later)

17
Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST)

18
MHD Accelerator: Assembly

20
Internal Views of the MHD Accerator

21
 Assembly with Current Feed and
Magnetic Field Current Conductors

Magnetic Field Current Feed Magnetic Field Current Conductors

22
Pitot Rake

23
 MHD Channel Operating Conditions

• Static pressure: 0.5 - 1.5 atm.

• Temperature: 3000 - 6000 K
• Magnetic field: 1.5 - 4 Tesla
• Mach Number: 2.0
• Hall parameter: approx. 5
• Interaction parameter: (jBL)/(ρu2) ≈ ∆u/u = 0.2 - 0.5
• Load factor: E / (uB) = 2 → 1.2
• The MHD device can be run as an accelerator or a generator
and with or without seed.

24
 Diagnostics
• Diagnostics
− Shock velocity
− Static pressures
− light emission at nozzle entrance and upstream of channel entrance
to determine test time
− Impact pressure rake at channel exit
− Main electrode currents and voltages
− Floating potential voltages (for conductivity measurements)
• Other possible diagnostics
− CCD camera movies may be taken to show oblique shock angles
and thus, Mach number. Temperature may be obtainable
spectroscopically from line intensity measurements.
• A data acquistion system with 48 channels and a speed of 1
MHz is available. Eight channels can be run at speeds up to
10 MHz and 36 channels at 1 MHz can be converted to 9
channels at 5 MHz, if required.

25
 Conclusions
• The energy management with electromagnetic
forces and facilitated by equilibrium ionization
could enhance the performance of scramjet.
− SSTO spaceplane
− First stage of a TSTO spaceplane & globecruiser
• The MHD accelerator for the EAST Facility is
built.

26