an air intake [...] which includes a first heat exchanger for cooling incoming air, a water separator downstream of the first heat exchanger, a liquid oxygen injector downstream of the the water separator and a second heat exchanger downstream of the liquid oxygen injector. The injector reduces the airflow temperature so that water remaining in the airflow is converted to small dry ice crystals. [...] the liquid oxygen is used to reduce the temperature of the flow from between 5º and 13ºC to minus 50ºC or lower, such that a considerable amount of liquid oxygen needs to be used
That's interesting news regarding the patents. I thought I heard somewhere that REL didn't want to patent the tech because they didn't want the information in the public domain. Is that memory of mine mistaken?
here's a half-assedly recoloured version of the diagram. the one things that jumps out at me is that the pre-burner.EDIT: ah-ha! looks like the frost-control cat is out of the bag.hrm, interesting. how much is "considerable"? and how does this apply to self-ferry and/or Scimitar?
Look again- there are two engine patents describing different configurations (SABRE 3 vs SABRE 4 perhaps?). One is similar (but more detailed) to what we've seen before; the other describes the twin combustion chambers in addition to the bypass duct.
In #2, #5 and #6 where the engines and nozzle arrangements are described and shows two nested nozzles. I think this may be a novel alternative to an expansion deflection rocket. The inner nozzle is for full on rocket mode. In air breathing mode the outer nozzle is used, and the rocket nozzle acts like the expansion deflection pintel.
Looks like one of their really old pictures of SABRE (see Figure 6 in Varvill & Bond (2003)). The newer models all have a simple conical forebody. Doesn't mean that's what they're going with, of course...
Missed the bit where JS19 had already picked up and ID'd the use of methanol. Please ignore me trying to sound clever on that bit.
Anyone want to have a guess as to how much helium is carried? I tried to estimate it from various RE mass budgets but could never get a particularly precise number. Is it possible to estimate it from first principles? I.e knowing the pump pressure and thrust of the main engines?
Quote from: Citizen Wolf on 05/26/2015 07:42 pmThat's interesting news regarding the patents. I thought I heard somewhere that REL didn't want to patent the tech because they didn't want the information in the public domain. Is that memory of mine mistaken?I seem to remember that too. Elon Musk definitely said that. Did REL say it too? Hmmm... Someone here will answer this soon.
Oops.... the last link address is faulty Try this https://www.ipo.gov.uk/p-ipsum/Case/ApplicationNumber/GB1318108.6 and I also found these https://www.ipo.gov.uk/p-ipsum/Case/ApplicationNumber/GB1318098.9 and https://www.ipo.gov.uk/p-ipsum/Case/ApplicationNumber/GB1318109.4 submitted on 12 January 2015
either way - now the patents are out there, the clock is ticking.. I just hope this means they're confident they can execute on their roadmap.