Research on the performance of an integrated active cooling and propulsion system for hypersonic glide vehicles

Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs) exceeding Mach 5 face intense aerodynamic heating and lack active propulsion, limiting thermal protection and trajectory control. This study proposes a liquid ammonia-based integrated system with dual functions: cooling the nose cone via convection and generating thrust using ammonia decomposition products. The combined active-passive thermal protection outperforms traditional passive systems. Multi-objective optimization finds 224 flow channels optimal for precise cooling of high-heat nose cone areas, achieving 92 % insulation efficiency. Unlike conventional liquid ammonia cooling, this system accounts for complex phase changes: ammonia decomposes endothermically above 520K, with both decomposed and undecomposed ammonia used as fuel. Compared to unpowered flight, fuel thrust rises from 1 kN to 2 kN, with a specific impulse of 556.5 s, 40 % thrust efficiency, and 70 % overall efficiency—sufficient for attitude adjustment. This realizes synergistic thermal protection and propulsion optimization, providing a theoretical basis for HGV thermal management and thrust enhancement by clarifying cooling-propulsion coupling.