Supersonic engine reaches speed of 19,756 km/h

Chinese hypersonic weapons researchers create the world's most powerful rotary-explosive engine that allows aircraft to travel at 19,756 km/h (Mach 16) at an altitude of 30 km.

At this speed, it takes only a few hours to fly intercontinentally and consumes much less fuel than a conventional jet engine.

The engine operates in two modes. The first mode operates as a continuous rotary engine (RDE), with a speed below Mach 7 (8,643 km/h). The shock wave is generated by the combustion of the mixture of external air and fuel. This shock wave spreads out in the annular chamber. The shock wave burns more fuel during rotation, resulting in a strong and continuous thrust for the aircraft.

The second mode operates when the aircraft is traveling at speeds above Mach 7. At this point, the shock wave stops rotating and is focused on a circular platform at the rear of the engine, which maintains thrust through indirect detonation. Due to the high velocity of the incoming air, the fuel self-ignites when it approaches the rear platform. During operation, the engine relies on detonation as its primary thrust.

The team did not disclose the efficiency of the engine, but it is estimated that the explosive flammable gas can convert nearly 80% of the chemical energy into kinetic energy, much higher than conventional turbofan engines, which typically achieve 20-30% efficiency, based on slow and gentle combustion.

The new engine is designed from a combination of rotary detonation and linear detonation at multiple speeds to improve optimal thermodynamic cycle efficiency at almost all speed ranges.