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Turbine Engine Fitted To Bloodhound SSC – Quest For 1,000 MPH On Land Continues On Schedule

Oct 10, 2014BangShift News6

Turbine Engine Fitted To Bloodhound SSC – Quest For 1,000 MPH On Land Continues On Schedule

In a project that promises to rewrite the definition of “fast” on land if it is successful, the Bloodhound SSC undertaking made another significant step forward recently with the fitment of the EJ200 turbine engine to the chassis of the vehicle that will be driven by Andy Green next year both in low speed testing and attempts at cresting 1,000mph on land. The jet engine is one of two pieces of kit that will propel the Bloodhound. Consider the EJ200 the workhorse of the operation because it will get the vehicle up and moving before Andy Green lights off the rocket engine that will ultimately provide the thrust necessary to make the huge vehicle travel at the desired speeds. Combined, the jet and the rocket will make some 135,000 thrust horsepower. You read that right and we didn’t mess up with the comma. 135,000 thrust hp. Wowsers. Oh, and even cooler? There’s a gas powered race motor in this thing that will be turning the oxidizer pump for the rocket! How’s that for over the top. The race engine isn’t doing anything else other than turning a pump. Serious business for sure.

To us, the neatest thing about the Bloodhound project is the way it has become a part of the British pride and culture. The whole thing has turned into kind of a national undertaking with companies supporting the project with technological assistance, sponsorship money, etc. The country’s kids are engaged in the project through school programs and initiatives which are inspiring young boys and girls to be into science because that’s what this whole adventure is based around.

The plan is to have the car out for low speed testing in the Spring/Summer of 2015 and then later on the car will be flown to South Africa where the big speed runs will be made at a place called the Hakskeen Pan which is big, and long, and flat, and wide. Perfect for what these guys are trying to do. Being that these fellows will be pushing the literal bleeding edge of speed in less than a year’s time, we think that they are making good time and we’re looking forward to following along as the car comes together and actually moves under its own power at some point.

1,00mph on land. Does that qualify as “unlimited top end”?

Here’s the full release from the Bloodhound Team followed by tons of photos –

Normally found powering a Eurofighter Typhoon, the EJ200 jet engine weighs one tonne (1000kg) and produces 20,000 lbs (90kN) or 9 tonnes of Thrust.

A team of five technicians spent eight hours to ensure the jet engine is a perfect fit with the upper and lower chassis and the carbon composite air intake, validating thirty years of world leading design.

In the jet fighter, the EJ200 is designed to be hung from a single mounting point (‘trunion’) so BLOODHOUND replicates this. The upper chassis is made of strong but light Aluminium to which Titanium stringers and Titanium skin will be fixed using both glue and 1,400 aircraft spec rivets. The lower chassis below the jet is made of Aluminium and steel and houses the NAMMO hybrid rocket. The two power plants together produce the equivalent of 135,000 thrust horse power or 180 F1 cars.

Today the Build Team trial fitted the upper chassis ribs over the jet engine to check the fit and clearance for the numerous fuel, electrical and hydraulic systems before the upper chassis is assembled, bonded and riveted.
The upper chassis ribs are wrapped in cling-film to keep contaminants off the bonding surfaces.
Chief Engineer Mark Chapman said “This is a fantastic moment in the Project, it’s great to see the jet engine fitted, it validates the many years of hard work by our team of motor sport and aerospace engineers”.

The workshop is a hive of activity as the 3,000 + individual components are delivered from leading manufacturers all over the world and assembled in the BLOODHOUND Technical Centre, Avonmouth, Bristol.

In simple terms jet and rocket powered car comprises of a carbon-fibre monocoque front section joined to a steel, Aluminium and Titanium rear chassis. 70% of the components have been either been completed or are with manufacturers, the final 30% will be ordered by the end of the year.

The Project is on-course for the finished car to roll-out for low speed testing (up to 200mph, 321km/h) at Newquay’s Aerohub in Summer 2015.  BLOODHOUND will then fly to South Africa’s Hakskeen Pan for the start of the Land Speed Record campaign, that Autumn.

BLOODHOUND SSC may be the most powerful land vehicle in the world, with c. 47,000lbs of thrust, equivalent to the combined output of 180 F1 cars, but going fast is not its primarily role. Rather, it is designed to inspire a generation by showcasing science and engineering in the most exciting and accessible way possible.  With aerospace being such an important aspect of the UK economy, and future skills a key concern, government and the UK’s high-value manufacturing sector endorse BLOODHOUND’s mission.

The BLOODHOUND Project is grateful for the support of a raft of world-class companies who share our ambition to inspire a generation to follow science and engineering by building, and racing, the most extraordinary Car in the world.

 

 

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Throwback Photos: The 1986 NSRA Nationals Through The Lens Of An 18-Year Old Doug Gregory

6 thoughts on “Turbine Engine Fitted To Bloodhound SSC – Quest For 1,000 MPH On Land Continues On Schedule”

  1. john

    Enough already!!! Why not just get Rocketdyne to produce an F1 motor, (powered the Saturn V) find a way to store the 10,000lbs of LOX and fuel it burns per second. 1,500,000 lbs of thrust should be enough to get to 1000mph. Work out the details later.

  2. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

    Yadah yadah yadah – I’m sick of hearing about this thing – 2 years of bullshit!

    They should ditch the jet engine and its gaping maw of an intake – put in a bigger rocket engine with throttle control which will lower the frontal area. The Russians apparently developed these and I think the legendary Sammy Miller also ran somthing similar, there’s bound to be a few spares.

    Better still some good ol’ boys from the USA will beat these private school toffs with something they knocked up one weekend with generous helpings of moonshine, which they then power the rocket with!

    YEEEHAHHHHH!

    1. geo815

      Well apparently, that mental thought bubble burst before some folks picked up on it. The awe-factor in this project isn’t the 1000 mph goal – it’s the fact that a nation is actually united to some extent in order to accomplish this feat. I’m sure our fearless leadership would get behind another Blue Flame project right away… and it’s not monetary backing I’m talking about. The Brits have the same dilemma that we have with our youth today – the majority of them are worthless, entitled, empowered, but feel good about themselves and the fact that they “never picked cotton.” A generation or two of that will destroy a nation. Hats off to them to see the writing on the wall and use a hobby as productive as hot rodding to show case the fact that engineering and the trades are perfectly respectable places to hang one’s hat.

    1. Jet Car Paul

      Been driving wheeled jets for some time now and the steering wheel is a pretty big help,,,,, I would hate to forget it at home……

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