An S-duct is a type of jet engine intake duct used in several types of trijet aircraft. In this configuration, the intake is in the upper rear center of the aircraft, above or below the stabilizer, while the exhaust and engine is at the rear of the aircraft. The S-duct is located in the tail, or empennage, of the aircraft. The shape of the S-duct is distinctive and easily recognized, and was used in several aircraft, beginning in 1962 with the Hawker Siddeley Trident. Currently, the Dassault Falcon 8X and Dassault Falcon 900 business jets are the only aircraft in production that use the S-duct design.
The central engine on the Tu-154 is fed through an S-duct
S-duct geometry
Dassault Falcon 50 S-duct
Falcon 50 S-duct inside the aircraft's rear fuselage, with an access hatch removed
An intake is an opening, structure or system through which a fluid is admitted to a space or machine as a consequence of a pressure differential between the outside and the inside. The pressure difference may be generated on the inside by a mechanism, or on the outside by ram pressure or hydrostatic pressure. Flow rate through the intake depends on pressure difference, fluid properties, and intake geometry.
Dassault Super Mystère showing entry to engine intake duct
Automotive intake assembly showing pink air filter, plastic ducting with sensors, metal throttle body and plastic manifold with plenum and runners