| 摘要 |
Thrust modules are provided at the distal ends of a low aerodynamic drag rotor. The rotor is affixed at a central hub to a shaft, and rotates about an axis defined by the shaft. In the preferred embodiment the thrust modules are ramjet engines, and the ramjet inlet captures and compresses an impinging inlet air stream. The compressed air stream thus provides oxygen for mixing with a fuel which is supplied to the ramjet thrust modules from a convenient fuel source such as natural gas. The fuel is oxidized in the thrust modules to produce combustion gases. The gases expand, and the exhaust flow creates thrust which is substantially tangential to the circumference defined by the distal end of the rotor. The gases expand to motivate the ramjet engine to rotate about the shaft at supersonic thrust module velocities, producing shaft energy.
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