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Home / Journals / ENERGY / Online First / doi:10.32604/ee.2026.078752
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Thermodynamic Optimization of an Indirectly Precooled Engine Cycle Based on Cascade Utilization of Fuel Heat Sink

Cong Wang1,#,*, Jiwei Fang1,#, Yang Wang2, Chengliang Zhao1, Xinyan Xiu1, Shuang Leng1, Song Wang1, Lei Lang1, Jiang Qin1,3,4, Jie Xu5
1 School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
2 Heilongjiang Institute of Metrology Verification and Testing, Harbin, China
3 Chongqing Research Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology, Chongqing, China
4 School of Power and Energy, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, China
5 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
* Corresponding Author: Cong Wang. Email: email
# These authors contribute equally to this paper and should be considered as co-first author
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Clean Energy Technologies for a Sustainable Future)

Energy Engineering https://doi.org/10.32604/ee.2026.078752

Received 07 January 2026; Accepted 08 July 2026; Published online 04 September 2026

Abstract

Hypersonic vehicles serve as effective platforms for missions such as space transportation and space tourism, while precooled engines are among their key propulsion devices. However, the fuel consumption during the precooling process of precooled engine typically exceeds that required for combustion, thereby limiting engine performance. To address this, based on the concept of heat sink cascade utilization, this paper proposes a novel reheated indirectly precooled engine cycle configuration. By reusing expanded hydrogen for heat absorption, the aim is to reduce fuel consumption. Corresponding mathematical models are established based on this configuration. Studies indicate that the reheated indirectly precooled engine improves specific impulse by 8.43% to 19.23% because of the reduction in fuel consumption. Besides, increasing the reheating level enhances the heat transfer power of reheater (RH) while reducing that of regenerator (RG), causing the overall system heat transfer area to first decrease and then increase. Moreover, reusing the fuel heat sink can narrow the intake regulation range without compromising specific impulse, thus reducing design complexity. In summary, this research provides novel insights and theoretical support for the development of high-Mach-number aeroengines.

Keywords

Hypersonic; precooled engine; cascade utilization; hydrogen fuel

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