The “innovative” hypersonic engine will fly for the first time in 2025

“This engine does that A hypersonic economy is a reality“This is Andrew Douglby.” CEO of Venus Aerospaceconvinced. His company's revolutionary campaign aims to make hypersonic travel possible and even… Concord Place in the shade. The first hypersonic drone is expected to fly with it as early as 2025.

called drive VDR2 It is a mixture of one Orbital detonation engine (RDRE) and turbojet engine or Ramjet engine. This should allow cruising speeds of up to Mach 4, i.e 4,900 km/h It can be achieved. A flight from London to Houston, Texas can be made in less than two hours. For comparison: the Concorde's top speed was about 2,200 km/h.

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No moving parts

VDR2 It delivers 2,000 pounds of continuous thrust and it's still coming No moving parts. It is basically an empty tube into which fuel is injected. The turbine whose blades rotate in conventional jet engines is completely missing.

In a Ramjet engine The air is not compressed by the turbine blades. Air quickly flows into the engine and compresses itself due to the engine structure, and only then is the fuel mixed, causing it to ignite. The resulting expanding gas exits backwards and generates thrust.

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Disadvantage: Ramjet engines operate only at high speeds, and sometimes only at high speeds Speed ​​beyond the speed of sound. It also poses a challenge to the material, as the interior of the engines is gone 2000°C It can heat.

At low speeds, they consume a lot of fuel, but they only work efficiently at supersonic speeds. Therefore jet-engined aircraft are usually included Booster missiles Brought to the right speed.

Orbital detonation engine as support

However, Venus Aerospace is betting on one of them Orbital detonation enginewhich also has no moving parts. That kind of one Rocket engine Venus Aerospace has two cylinders, with a smaller cylinder inside a larger cylinder. Fuel with an oxidizing agent is injected into the gap between them and ignited. The explosion causes a Shock wavewho deal with Speed ​​beyond the speed of sound It spreads. Only at this speed can we talk about an explosion, including one The fire.

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The shock wave spreads Like a snail About the smaller cylinder. Unlike pulse detonation engines, several detonation waves can pass through the combustion duct at the same time, resulting in Continuous orientation maybe. This is also an advantage of orbital detonation engines Fuel saving Up to 15 percent.

Driving for Stargazer

The goal is to use the engine for Venus Aerospace's Stargazer supersonic aircraft in the future. The plane has a regular jet engine, takes off and carries passengers to a good flight altitude 50 km brings. There just should be it The VDR2 drive can be activated. Also for Military use Development is appropriate.