China's hypersonic breakthrough promises global travel in an hour
Chinese scientists have completed the first successful tests of a new detonation engine using kerosene, which could revolutionize air travel. They estimate that within the next few years, a passenger airplane capable of flying to any place in the world within an hour will be created.
Chinese scientists successfully tested an innovative engine that could transform air travel using conventional aviation kerosene. The advanced engine, which will allow flights at speeds of Mach 16, equivalent to approximately 19,998 km/h, can reduce intercontinental travel time to merely half an hour.
A new era in aviation
The detonation engine generates a shock wave that achieves speeds faster than sound through rapid bursts of fuel mixture. Chinese researchers solved the key challenge of transitioning to a safer and more common aviation fuel, kerosene, although achieving its detonation was more difficult. They introduced a special protrusion into the chamber that initiates the necessary explosions.
The initial tests of the prototype Yunxing airplane conducted by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences were successful. The team, led by Han Xin from the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained that the shock wave compresses and ignites the mixture, forming a powerful explosion front.
The airplane withstood extreme conditions during a flight in the unique JF-12 Tunnel in Beijing, simulating a complete high-speed environment. The results, published in "Journal of Experiments in Fluid Mechanics," indicated that this engine is a thousand times more efficient in combustion than competing ramjet systems for hypersonic speeds.
The future of air travel
The prospects for developing passenger airplanes using this technology are promising. After addressing challenges related to the temperatures affecting the surfaces of hypersonic vehicles, these airplanes could become a reality within the next decade at speeds up to Mach 16. Furthermore, the new engine, with a combustion chamber 85 percent shorter than in scramjet engines, reduces the structure's mass and may increase flight range.
In tests conducted in the JF-12 aerodynamic tunnel in Beijing, the engine achieved speeds of over Mach 5. The shock wave resulting from ultra-rapid explosions provides powerful thrust, and the engine's construction is simpler and lighter than that of other technologies.
Chinese researchers plan to develop a passenger airplane capable of flying to any location in the world within an hour by 2030. At a speed of Mach 16, a journey from Shanghai to Los Angeles could take just half an hour. If implemented in military technology, this would allow for the development of a new generation of missiles, drones, and bombers, potentially providing a strategic advantage in future conflicts.
