The research in Supersonic Cruise Efficiency Propulsion (SCE-P) Technical Challenge area of NASA's Supersonics project is discussed. The research in SCE-P is being performed to enable efficient supersonic flight over land. Research elements in this area include: Advance Inlet Concepts, High Performance/Wider Operability Fan and Compressor, Advanced Nozzle Concepts, and Intelligent Sensors/Actuators. The research under each of these elements is briefly discussed

DeBonis, James R.

NASA Technical Reports Server

Overview of NASA’s Supersonic Cruise Efficiency – 
Propulsion Research  
The research in Supersonic Cruise Efficiency – Propulsion (SCE-P) Technical 
Challenge area of NASA’s Supersonics project is discussed.  The research in SCE-P 
is being performed to enable efficient supersonic flight over land.  Research elements 
in this area include: Advance Inlet Concepts, High Performance/Wider Operability Fan 
and Compressor, Advanced Nozzle Concepts, and Intelligent Sensors/Actuators.  The 
research under each of these elements is briefly discussed. 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20110011988 2019-08-30T15:43:48+00:00Z
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
www.nasa.gov 
Overview of NASAʼs Supersonic Cruise Efficiency – 
Propulsion Research
2009 Annual Meeting 
September 29-October 1, 2009 
Jim DeBonis 
Associate Principal Investigator 
Supersonics Cruise Efficiency - Propulsion 
SCE-P Motivation
In order to achieve economic viability, supersonic cruise civil aircraft need to 
achieve unprecedented levels of cruise efficiency.  
To achieve high efficiency, the propulsion system must be designed and 
optimized as an integrated system and installed in an optimal way on the 
airframe.  
This cruise efficiency must be preserved while 
1.  Meeting stringent airport noise requirements at takeoff and landing
2.  Minimizing the aircraftʼs sonic boom signature.
Research Elements
•  Advanced Inlet Concepts
–  Micro-Array Flow Control
–  Assess Inlet-Fan Interactions
–  Supersonic Inlet Designs Tools
–  Inlet Bleed Modeling
–  Low Boom/High Performance Inlet Development
•  High Performance/Wide Operability Fan and Compressor
•  Advanced Nozzle Concepts
–  Improved Nozzle Force Measurements
–  Jet Plume Effects on Sonic Boom
–  Low Boom/Low Noise/High Performance Nozzle Development
•  Intelligent Sensors/Actuators
Inlet Flow Control – Small Scale
•  Computational Fluid Dynamics
–  Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes
•  Initial proof of concept
•  Ramp shaping studies
–  Large-eddy simulation
•  NRA: Eric Loth, PI, University of 
Illinois
•  Experiment
–  GRC 15cm x 15cm tunnel
–  Oblique shock boundary layer 
interactions
•  Micro-ramp control
•  Testing completed
–  Normal shock boundary layer 
interactions
•  Hybrid micro-ramp/micro-blowing 
control
•  Testing FY10
h
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Response Surface of Shape Factor for Control of 
Oblique Shock Boundary Layer Interaction 
Micro-ramp flow control device 
Inlet Flow Control - Risk Reduction 
•  USAF/Boeing TRICS Rig
•  NRA: Jim Mace, PI, Boeing
•  Direct connect facility
–  Normal shock/boundary layer interaction
–  Subsonic diffuser
•  Test inlet flow control devices
•  Correlate boundary layer health near the interaction with system 
performance 
Throat 
Section 
Subsonic 
Diffuser Bellmouth 
SS Nozzle 
Instrumentation 
Section 
TRICS facility 
Inlet Flow Control - Large-Scale Testing
•  NASA/Techland 40/60 Inlet
–  NRA: Lois Weir, PI, Techland 
Research Inc.
–  Hybrid micro-ramp/micro-
blowing control
•  Control to replace/minimize 
performance bleed
•  Stability bleed system still 
necessary
–  Mach 2.5
–  Mixed-compression inlet
–  10ft. x 10ft. supersonic tunnel
–  Hardware currently being 
fabricated
–  Testing in FY11
Low-Boom Inlet Development
•  Inlet design
–  Gulfstream concept
•  Mach 1.7
•  Relaxed external compression
•  Low cowl angle
–  NRA: Univ. of Illinois/Gulfstream
•  PI: Eric Loth, Univ. of Illinois
•  Single stream design
•  Micro-ramp/vortex generator 
flow control of centerbody 
boundary layer
•  Large-scale test
–  GRC 8ft. x 6 ft. tunnel
–  Spring 2010
Presentation by Rod Chima 
Wednesday Morning 
Inlet Bleed Modeling
•  Model development and implementation
–  Improvements to current state-of-the-art models
–  Implementation into the Wind-US code
–  Slater, AIAA Paper 2009-710
•  Bleed hole simulations
–  NRA: A. Hamed, PI, University. of Cincinnati
–  Detailed information for model development
–  Hamed et al, AIAA Paper 2009-1260
•  Fundamental 
experiments
–  Validate new models
–  Bleed database
–  15cm x 15cm wind 
tunnel
–  Testing FY10
Inlet Design Tools
•  Rehabilitation of old codes
–  PEPSI-S: Supersonic 
Parabolized Navier-Stokes
•  Inlets and forebodies
•  Benson et al, AIAA Paper  
2009-711
–  PEPSI-G: Subsonic 
Parabolized Navier-Stokes
•  Diffusers and ducts
–  Inlet MOC: Method of 
Characteristics analysis code
•  Modern Design Tool Framework
–  Will link geometry, design and 
analysis tools together in a 
modern framework
–  3D capabilities
Presentation by John Slater 
Wednesday Morning 
Flight Test of the Channeled Centerbody Inlet
•  Patented centerbody design allows large throat area variation 
through simple lightweight system
•  Developed by Techland Research under a NASA SBIR
•  Will be flight tested on the Dryden F-15 in FY10
Inlet/Fan Interactions
Analysis of U.S. Air Force UAV Inlet 
Coupled Analysis of UIUC/Gulfstream 
Low-Boom Inlet – Rolls Royce Tay Fan 
•  Steady state tools
–  RANS based
–  Inlet and Turbomachinery codes 
coupled via TCP-IP based 
scheme
–  AVCS or Wind for the Inlet
–  SWIFT for the fan
•  Unsteady analysis
–  Unsteady RANS
–  Large-eddy simulation
–  H3D code
–  Hah, AIAA Paper 2009-1061
Presentation by Rod Chima 
Wednesday Morning 
Improved Nozzle Force Measurements
•  Upgrading force measurement in 
Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig (NATR)
–  Simultaneous force and noise 
measurements
–  Refurbish, improve and calibrate 
existing force balance
•  6-component balance for GRC Jet Exit 
Rig
–  Rig used in GRC 9ʼx15ʼ, 8ʼx6ʼ and 
10ʼx10ʼ wind tunnels
–  Triumph Aerospace Sys.
–  Hardware fab. and instrumentation 
complete
–  Preparing for final assembly and leak 
check
–  Calibration in the 6 axis Automatic 
Balance Calibration System (ABCS) 
summer 2009
High Flow Jet Exit Rig, Force Balance and 
Calibration Hardware in NASA Glenn NATR 
6-Component Balance for GRC Jet Exit Rig 
Jet Plume Effects on Sonic Boom
•  Develop guidelines for nozzle 
shape, integration and operation 
for high-performance low-boom 
operation
•  Compliments LANCETS F-15 
flight test 
•  Analysis
–  Wind-US - CFD                          
& PC-Boom - propagation
–  Effects of: NPR, boattail angle, 
stagger and spacing
–  Castner, AIAA Paper 2008-3729
•  Wind tunnel testing
–  1ʼx1ʼ small scale testing
–  New jet exit rig being fabricated
–  Currently testing
Dynamic Flow Angularity Probe
•  NRA:  Alex Ned, PI, Kulite Semiconductor Products Inc.
•  Inlet distortion measurements
•  0.170 diameter head w/ 5 surface mounted Kulite sensors
•  Performance
–  Spatial resolution 0.052 inch minimum
–  Frequency response up to 4kHz minimum.
–  Flow angle accuracy 0.5 º to 1.0 º over ± 35º range
•  Prototype assembly completed, ready for calibration at MIT
Intelligent Sensors/Actuators
•  Microwave Tip Clearance Sensor
–  Developed under the NASA SBIR and 
UEET Programs by Radatec, Inc. 
–  High temperature, ~1200 ºC 
–  Highly accurate, ~25um
–  Sensors have been used on several 
experiments at GRC to evaluate & 
demonstrate their performance.
–  Work concluded
•  Flow Visualization and Optical 
Diagnostic Measurements
–  Investigate techniques to support 
supersonic inlet testing
–  Near term focus on improving 
Schlieren systems in the 8x6 and 
10x10 wind tunnels
–  Long term goal of developing other 
techniques (PIV, PSP etc.)
Microwave sensors installed on the 
NASA Turbofan Test Rig 
Concept of PIV system for low-boom inlet 
test in NASA 8’ x 6’ SWT 
Key Events
•  Low-boom inlet test
–  NASA GRC 8ʼ x 6ʼ Supersonic Tunnel
–  Spring of 2010
•  Improved nozzle force measurements
–  Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig
•  Simultaneous force and noise measurements
•  December 2009
–  8ʼ x 6ʼ and 10ʼ x 10ʼ Supersonic Wind Tunnels
•  6-component force balance for Jet Exit Rig
•  September 2010
•  Large-scale demonstration of micro-array flow control
–  40-60 inlet 
–  Hybrid micro-ramp/micro-blowing control
–  2011
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Overview of NASA's Supersonic Cruise Efficiency - Propulsion Research

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