LAND SPEED RECORD ZERO-EMISSION ROCKET


For the world land speed record challenge, the Bloodhound LSR team has chosen a zero-emissions rocket. Powered by concentrated hydrogen peroxide, the rocket will be used alongside the world’s best jet-fighter engine when the car attempts to reach speeds beyond 800mph in South Africa in the third quarter of 2021. Nowegian company, Nammo


has designed a compact, zero-emissions rocket to be used as a launch motor to put small satellites into space. The size and power of this rocket makes it ideal for use in Bloodhound LSR.


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chemically harmful waste generated by the rocket from each run. Bloodhound LSR will be steam powered! Work is also under way to


The Nammo rocket is a


‘monopropellant’ design that uses concentrated hydrogen peroxide (water with an extra


oxygen molecule – H2O2) as the oxidiser. This is pumped at high pressure through silver gauze, which acts as a


PRESSURE MEASUREMENT An understanding of the all-important aerodynamic performance of the car is crucial in achieving the new land speed record. The Bloodhound LSR team enlisted the help of UK measurement specialist, Evolution Measurement and their principal, Scanivalve, to provide pressure measurement expertise. Assistant Aerospace Engineering Professor Ben Evans from


Swansea University and PhD student Jack Townsend joined the Bloodhound team in the desert to help analyse the gigabytes of performance data from each of the runs. They were able to monitor the data from 192 pressure sensors on


the car and compare how closely the real data matches the predicted CFD models, an exercise that was designed to reveal the amount of drag experienced by the car on each run. A key aim of these tests is to provide


valuable data allowing the refinement of the CFD models, which will in turn improve the accuracy of future modelling. Bloodhound engineers will use the data to validate the next run profile, allowing safe increments in speed as the real vehicle data is compared with its ‘digital twin’. The data will also help determine


the size of rocket that will be fitted for the attempt to set a new world land speed record in autumn 2021. Evolution Measurement managing director, Paul Crowhurst said: “We are excited to be a part of engineering history. This is an amazing project and we were delighted that our partners at Scanivalve Corp were able to support the team with the technology.” According to Addison Pemberton of Scanivalve Corp, the


pressure measurement instrumentation donated to the project was used to survey aerodynamic down forces on the vehicle to ensure safe operation at these very high speeds. The ZOC pressure scanner can withstand brutal test


environments and its use on this project demonstrate its strength and capability in delivering valuable data in extremely harsh conditions.


12 /// Testing & Test Houses /// February 2020


catalyst, causing it to decompose into super-heated steam (600°C) and oxygen. The steam and oxygen are channelled through a nozzle to generate thrust. There is no fuel “combustion” and therefore no flame nor any


optimise the auxiliary power unit needed to pump the rocket’s oxidiser. Rather than the originally specified 550bhp V8 internal combustion engine, this will be an electric motor and battery pack of comparable power, using technology only available very recently. The Bloodhound team is also


exploring the possibility of running the Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine on bio-fuel instead of Jet fuel, further reducing the environmental impact of operating the car.


HIGH CORRELATION After the tests, Evans and Townsend found there was a 90 per cent correlation between the real-world data and models generated before the runs using CFD. Now, the remaining 10 per cent of the data is being studied to


refine the predictions and strengthen the team’s knowledge of transonic airflow. However, the otherwise high level of correlation has given the Bloodhound team great confidence in the aerodynamic shape of the car and confirmed plans to fit winglets to the tail fin to manage the vertical downloads on the rear wheels. The data has also confirmed the drag the car experienced at


transonic speeds. Crucially, this indicates the power needed for the rocket to propel the car through the sound barrier (approximately 760mph or 340m/s) and into the record books. The data shows a 50-60kN monopropellant rocket is required.


ENGINEERING SHOWCASE A key element of the latest land speed record attempt is to showcase the engineering capabilities required to push new boundaries and to encourage young people to take up careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) subjects. The Bloodhound LSR team says the project is helping push boundaries and


demonstrate pioneering new technologies with many aspects of the car having required engineers to think in new ways and manufacturers to develop novel production and testing methods. Already, there have been many spin-offs from the project,


including technology development, pushing the limits of materials science, validation and improvement of computational models. Commenting on this aspect of the project, Ian Warhurst, CEO


of the car’s owner, Grafton LSR, states that the project has inspired so many people over the past 10 years, including both students and the wider engineering community. “Engineers like solving problems and theorising about what happens when you pass the limits of known understanding. We look forward to continuing this inspiration into the future,” he concludes. T&TH


❱❱ Current land speed record holder Andy Green will have the power of a bio-mass fuelled jet engine as well as a zero-emission rocket motor to reach speeds that have never been faster nor greener, panel story; gigabytes of data from hundreds of sensors are being analysed by engineers to compare the car’s performance against design models, below


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