Re: Precoolers
"are these similar to what Concorde needed to slow the incoming air down (and explains the unique shape of the intake) ?"
I dont think they're quite the same - jet turbines get unhappy if you squirt supersonic air into the internal intake, hence tricks to slow down the air to subsonic speeds before it hits the internal turbines and compressors.
A SABRE engine is designed to run with intakes open at much higher velocities (i.e MACH 5) - I think that at those speeds, incoming air is compressed so much that it gets hot enough to start melting engine components, hence the need to cool it very rapidly before it reaches the internal intakes to the combustion chambers.
One thing that puzzles me about the reporting of this story (on several sites), is that the SABRE engine is being described as using jet propulsion when in air-breathing mode, then rocket propulsion using internal liquid oxygen supply above MACH 5. As far as I'm aware, this motor has no turbines, so cannot use jet propulsion, and simply switches from being an atmospheric air breathing rocket motor to an internal LOX breathing rocket motor.
Or am I missing something?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
