China has tested a powerful engine that can carry weapons at remarkable speeds through both air and water. The novel engine achieved 90% efficiency in laboratory tests, which were conducted in submarine mode, and met the desired requirements for practical use.
Developed for hypersonic weapons, the engine inhales air and water as oxidizing agents depending upon the medium, where it's being used. The engine, which is claimed to be the first of its kind, is powered by boron. Boron is the critical element in scramjet engines, supersonic combustion ramjet engines.
Boron's use increases the speed of the missile to nearly Mach 5 as it burns intensely after encountering oxygen in the air. However, igniting the boron in water was challenging for the Chinese scientists. Therefore, the research team implemented a new design that gave the solid fuel another chance to burn and enhance the engine's efficiency.
The ratios of magnesium, aluminium, and other fuel ingredients were also optimized. These active metals enable boron to burn more thoroughly in vapour. Scientists conducted tests at a laboratory on the ground that mimicked the environment of an underwater area, reported SCMP.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Engine Stability | Professor Huang Liya, who led the project team, stated that during the test, the engine was stable as the flame and the pressure in the afterburner remained unchanged. |
| Exhaust Jet Speed | Sensor data showed the exhaust jet speed of the engine exceeded Mach 3 with an efficiency rate of 87%. |
| Specific Impulse | When the proportion of fuel boron was increased in the fuel formula, its specific impulse reached 4,712 newton-seconds per kilogram, which is one third more efficient than SpaceX’s Raptor rocket engines. |
| High-Energy Metalloid | The high-energy metalloid, boron, has been recognized by multiple researchers as a potential secondary energy source for liquid hydrocarbon fuel to power volume-limited propulsion devices such as ramjet and scramjet. |
The higher energy content in boron, both volumetrically and gravimetrically, makes it a better candidate for propulsion devices with limited space such as scramjets or ramjets.