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Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

Posted July 01, 2009 8:06 AM

From New Scientist - Online News:

When the supersonic car Bloodhound SSC streaks across the desert sometime in 2011 in its bid to break the land speed record, it will be powered by no fewer than three different types of engine. A rocket will boost the car to around 1200 kilometres per hour, (Mach 1) while a Eurofighter jet engine will provide more controllable thrust to coax it up to 1600 km/h (1000 miles per hour). Finally, the car is equipped with a V12 petrol engine to pump the fuel and provide electrical and hydraulic power to the jet and rocket.

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#1

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/01/2009 9:22 AM

Rumour has it that the proponents are insane, and have unmarried parents.

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#3
In reply to #1

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/01/2009 10:58 PM

Andy Green (who signed up to drive the Bloodhound) didn't seem any more insane than the rest of us when we met him at Bonneville the year they ran the JB diesel. But then everything is relative. There are many questions extant about the mental stability of land speed racers in general. Of course it's contagious; sort of the mad cow disease variant of automotive competition.

Ed Weldon

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#7
In reply to #3

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/02/2009 10:20 AM

Re: "There are many questions extant about the mental stability of land speed racers in general." get-a-life buddy they are discovering tough anserz 2 tough qweschunz whut-L bennefit us all in the long run.

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#6
In reply to #1

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/02/2009 5:01 AM

I used to know some of the Noble family - seemed a pretty sane bunch to me.

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#2

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/01/2009 10:48 AM

This is what happens when science doesn't follow through on its promise of flying cars.

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#4

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/01/2009 11:00 PM

So, for the higher speeds (Above Mach 1) they won't be using something like a Linear Aero Spike, or are they still too deep in dream land for those engines?

http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/Photo/SR-71-LASRE/index.html

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#5

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/01/2009 11:32 PM

Is it just me or does the order of engine usage seem to be backwards? How does a V12 ICE provide additional force to propel a land vehicle at 1600 km/h? Why use a rocket at low speeds to now use a jet engine while going transonic? I realize the V12 could (as the animation implied) first get the vehicle first moving and additionally power the hydraulics and fuel pumps so that the jet engine's power goes only to thrust. But it makes more sense to my feeble brain to first use the V12, then the easily throttled jet engine while disengaging the wheels from the V12, followed by the all or nothing rocket. Wait a minute, I'm assuming the rocket is a solid propellant. If the rocket is a liquid propellant rocket, it could then be throttled too? But the order still seems wrong to me.

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#8
In reply to #5

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/02/2009 10:36 AM

Sorry, dude, the V12 is not for propulsion, it's the fuel pump to feed those other fuel guzzlers.

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#9
In reply to #5

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/02/2009 3:04 PM

never mind. I should visit my lab more often.

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#10

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/04/2009 8:28 PM

he he heeeeeeeeee... course I dunno the details of those engine operation, but the previous mentioned idea of a solid propellant rocket to boost speed beyond the eurofighter engine limit. No... I have just read the article: this is a controllable trust solid fuel rocket developed from scratch! Cool...

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#11
In reply to #10

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/04/2009 10:34 PM

Controllable thrust solid fuel, yeah that is cool. Now that I've reread the article, I see that I completely missed that point about controling the hydrogen peroxide flow for the rocket. Since the fuel is still a solid, I guess the term solid rocket fuel is still accurate. I'm sure it's not what comes to most peoples minds first when yo say solid fuel rocket. If NASA had only used this concept for the shuttle boosters...

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#12
In reply to #11

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/06/2009 3:40 AM

...wonder if it will be a KIA?

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#13
In reply to #12

Re: Triple-Engined Car Could Smash Land-Speed Record

07/06/2009 9:06 AM

I hope you meant the S. Korean automobile manufacturer and weren't using an acronym.

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