The Reaction Engines Hypersonic Propulsion Development Program Alan Bond Reaction Engines Ltd., D5 Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 3DB, UK
- Paper number
IAC-08.D2.5.5
- Author
Mr. Alan Bond, Reaction Engines Ltd., United Kingdom
- Year
2008
- Abstract
Hybrid Airbreathing-Rocket engines are promising engines to realise SSTO reusable vehicles and there has now been 7 years of continuous hardware development at REL to prove the feasibility of their more demanding engineering aspects. The majority of the effort has been invested in developing the manufacturing technology of the tubular surface heat exchangers which are fundamental to the operation of these engines. Following demonstration of effective frost control in 2004, a test facility incorporating a Viper jet engine has been constructed and in operation for the past 3 years with inlet temperatures from ambient down to cryogenic. This will be equipped with a full precooler with frost control during 2009. Because these engines use the thermal capacity of the hydrogen in the operation of the cycle, the chamber cooling has to be done with liquid oxygen during rocket ascent, and hydrogen film cooling in airbreathing ascent. The use of novel high area ratio (greater than 100:1) nozzle configurations to provide stable pressure compensating operation during the ascent is advantageous. These aspects of the engine are the subject of experimental programs. System studies performed on a vehicle powered by this class of engine, supported by independent analysis of aerodynamics and trajectories, showed payload to be in excess of 4 percent of gross take-off mass to a 300km due east orbit from Kourou, increasing to around 8 percent using an upper stage and downrange vehicle recovery. The aeroshell material is a SiC reinforced glass-ceramic matrix. Testing of chemical reactivity with the re-entry environment (monatomic species) has been carried out on material of the correct thickness in a glow discharge plasma facility. The SSTO was conceived to reduce the cost and lead time for unmanned payloads. The economic and logistical impact of the SSTO has been further studied in the context of a cis-Lunar infrastructure and also in the context of manned missions to Mars over the decades 2020-2030. Under the EU framework program, system studies of a terrestrial Mach 5 transport have shown the feasibility of applying the above SSTO propulsion technology to an antipodal range civilian aircraft with real flight path transfer time of 4h 40m between Brussels and Sydney with 300 passengers. These studies formed part of the EU/ESA LAPCAT program. These development programs are funded by a mixture of EU, ESA and private funding.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
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