Reaction Engines
Reaction Engines' specially constructed facility at the Colorado Air and Space Port in the US, used for testing the innovative precooler of its air-breathing SABRE engine. Credit: Reaction Engines Ltd
UK-based Reaction Engines announced that its Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engines (SABRE) technology has passed an important developmental milestone.
Reaction Engines' precooler heat exchanger successfully passed the test objectives set out in the first phase of high-temperature testing. The ground-based test saw Reaction Engines' precooler bring down the 420°C (788°F) intake airflow in under 1/20th of a second.
The tests were designed to replicate the conditions of supersonic flight. Future tests, at even higher temperatures in excess of 1,000°C (1,800°F), are in the planning stages.
The testing milestone was passed at the Reaction Engines' TF2 test facility at the Colorado Air and Space Port in the US.
The technology could allow aircraft to fly at Mach 5 - five times the speed of sound - or 6,172 km per hour (3,836 miles per hour). At such a speed, flights between the UK and Australia would take around 4.5 hours.
The engines are being designed with space travel in mind during which they hope to speed a vessel up to Mach 25.
Reaction Engines precooler
In the test set-up, the pre-cooler is fed by the exhaust gases from a military jet engine. Credit: Reaction Engines Ltd
Mark Thomas, Chief Executive, Reaction Engines, said: “This is a hugely significant milestone which has seen Reaction Engines’ proprietary precooler technology achieve unparalleled heat transfer performance. The HTX test article met all test objectives and the successful initial tests highlight how our precooler delivers world-leading heat transfer capabilities at low weight and compact size. This provides an important validation of our heat exchanger and thermal management technology portfolio which has application across emerging areas such as very high-speed flight, hybrid electric aviation and integrated vehicle thermal management.”
Reaction Engines has drawn significant investment over the past few years from both private and public sources including BAE Systems, Boeing, Rolls Royce and HorizonX, as well as a £60-million funding commitment from the UK government.
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