Engine from China exceeds the speed of sound by 16 times

According to a report in Donanımhaber, the new air-breathing engine, described as "revolutionary," is expected to carry an aircraft to an altitude of 30 km and travel at around Mach 16.

If true, at this speed, intercontinental flights should take only hours and consume significantly less fuel compared to traditional jet engines.

What is known about the engine, designed by Zhang Yining and his team at the Beijing Power Machinery Institute, is quite limited.

PROVIDES CONTINUOUS THRUST

According to what was published in the peer-reviewed Chinese Journal of Propulsion Technology, the engine can operate in two modes. The first is stated to be the sub-Mach 7 mode, which operates as a continuous Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE). In this mode, incoming air mixes with fuel and ignites, causing a shock wave to form. This shock wave is then made to propagate within a circular chamber. Thus, during rotation, the shock wave ignites more fuel, providing powerful and continuous thrust for the aircraft.

Other countries such as the US and Japan are also currently working on their own RDE concepts. In fact, NASA recently tested a prototype engine on the ground. China has also recently reported breakthroughs in RDE technology with its own ground tests and even a drone variant.

In the engine's second mode, when the aircraft exceeds Mach 7, the shock wave stops rotating and concentrates on a circular platform at the rear of the engine. We can say this is somewhat like a scramjet engine. As the researchers explained in the article, the fuel automatically detonates when it reaches the rear platform due to the high speed of the incoming air. This provides powerful propulsion, making Mach 16 levels possible.

Zhang and his colleagues did not disclose the efficiency of their engine in their research paper. However, according to previous scientific estimates, the detonation of flammable gases can convert approximately 80% of chemical energy into kinetic energy. In traditional turbofan engines, this rate is around 30%. Nevertheless, the researchers also explain that there are significant areas that need improvement.

News Source: 12punto