China Develops 'World's Most Powerful' Hypersonic Engine That Could Reach Mach 16
upstart writes:
Chinese engineers claimed to have created a "revolutionary" dual-mode rotating detonating and straight-line oblique detonation engine setup.
Referred to as "revolutionary," the new air-breathing engine should carry an aircraft to 18.6-mile (30 km) altitudes and travel around Mach 16. If true, at this velocity, intercontinental flights should take only hours and consume far less fuel when compared to conventional jet engines.
Designed by Zhang Yining and his team at the Beijing Power Machinery Institute (in conjunction with the People's Liberation Army's 93160 Unit), little is known about the engine beyond a blueprint published in the peer-reviewed journal Chinese Journal of Propulsion Technology in December SCMP reports. The engine operates in two modes, with the first being a sub-Mach 7 mode, which works as a continuous rotating detonation engine (RDE). Air from outside mixes with fuel and gets ignited, which leads to the creation of a shock wave.
This shock wave propagates in an annular chamber. During rotation, the shock wave ignites more fuel, resulting in a powerful and continuous thrust for the aircraft. China, the United States, and other nations like Japan are currently working on their own RDE concepts with NASA, and contractors like GE recently tested prototype engines on the ground. China has also reported breakthroughs in RDE technology recently with its own ground tests and even a drone variant.
In the second mode, when the aircraft travels above Mach 7, the shock wave stops rotating and focuses on a circular platform at the engine's rear. This helps maintain the thrust through a nearly straight-line oblique detonation format. As the researchers describe in the paper, fuel auto-detonates as it reaches the rear platform due to the high speed of incoming air. The engine relies on detonation as its primary driving force throughout its operation.
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