supersonic diffuser
supersonic diffuser
[¦sü·pər¦sän·ik di′fyü·zər]supersonic diffuser
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i. External-compression inlets have the supersonic diffusion taking place at or ahead of the cowl lip or throat station and generally employ one or more oblique shock waves ahead of the normal shock.
ii. Internal-compression inlets accomplish supersonic diffusion internally downstream of the cowl lip. Deceleration of the flow is produced by a number of weak reflecting waves in a gradually convergent channel.
iii. A combination of external and internal compression, it is an effective compromise. It generally employs one or more oblique shock waves ahead of the normal shock.