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The Skylon Project

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The Skylon Project From HOTOL to SKYLON British Spaceplane Programmes: Past, Present and Future Roger Longstaff, Reaction Engines Ltd. 18th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference Tours, France, 26 September 2012 The Past Interviews with main protagonists Personal recollections and opinions Reflections on system engineering philosophy Engine technology & transportation systems External combustion engine – railways & ships Internal combustion engine – automobiles & aircraft Gas turbine engine – jet aircraft Liquid fuelled rocket engine – ballistic missiles & space launch vehicles Nuclear power – ships, submarines........... All are revolutionary technologies – some are highly disruptive! Yarm – beer and the origin of the railways Locomotion No. 1 The Origin of HOTOL Bob Parkinson and Alan Bond meet at British Interplanetary Society in 1982 (CNES lecture on Ariane 5 / Hermes) Question: How to replace the expendable rocket? Answer: With an aeroplane Next Question: Is it possible? Design a SSTO / RLV Aeroplane Parkinson moves to British Aerospace Space Division and investigates performance and airframe designs Bond works part time on propulsion systems: rocket / gas turbine combinations, exotic propellants, etc. BAe director (Peter Conchie) takes concept to main board – secures company funding More than 20 different concepts were studied. Bond patents new thermodynamic engine cycle, John Scott- Scott cultivates interest at Rolls Royce UK Ministry of Defence classifies engine “secret”, Rolls Royce adopts as RB545 1985: BAe & Rolls Royce begin £3 million HOTOL “Proof of concept” study RLV / SSTO Premise Reusable launch vehicles will be more cost effective than expendable launch vehicles in the long term Single stage to orbit will be more cost effective than two stage to orbit in the long term Horizontal take-off (wings) reduces engine mass and provide high cross-range for operational flexibility Pre-cooled, combined cycle, air breathing rocket technology is the superior solution to single stage to orbit Installed T/W & Specific Impulse The HOTOL Programme BAe transfer leadership to Military Aircraft Division in 1985, BAe Civil Aircraft Division now involved (as well as Space Division) Differences in design philosophy quickly emerge “Rubber aeroplane” modelling (to give 7 tonne payload to LEO) gives rising GLOM with heavier structures, intake and actuators GLOM fixed @ 275 tonnes, payload allowed to vary Payload shrinks....... HOTOL Problems Far aft centre of gravity (engines @ base) Far aft wing gives poor control authority Very heavy actuators required Variable geometry intake very heavy Centre of pressure moves forward in supersonic flight Undercarriage 3% of GLOM (same as payload) HOTOL Solutions Replace undercarriage with “trolley” Optimise design of airframe (structure mass and aerodynamics) with engine (SI & installed T/W) Improve/correct scaling laws (LH2 tank) Transfer LOX to alleviate trim problem Add thrust to trolley Optimise fineness ratio and wing loading to give supersonic L/D > 3.5 HOTOL (J) The end of HOTOL By 1989 the performance had improved to 5-6 tonnes to LEO, but too late......... HMG (BNSC) declined to join Ariane 5 and stopped all work on launchers and manned spaceflight to concentrate on applications International collaboration not possible – other nations had own programmes (NASP, Sanger, Hermes) Rolls Royce ended internal funding HMG decided not to continue funding BAe reverted to “Interim HOTOL” The Origin of Reaction Engines (Three men in a shed) In 1989 Alan Bond, John Scott-Scott and Richard Varvill founded Reaction Engines Ltd. Aim – to act as a repository for all of the knowledge gained from the HOTOL programme and to develop the technology, particularly the precooler – the only brand new component Working part time, from home, small grants HOTOL SSTO/RLV renamed SKYLON Private investment in 2000 allowed offices and labs at Culham Science Park (AEA site) Airframe Configuration SKYLON C1 (275 tonne GLOM) HOTOL to SKYLON Evolution The Present SKYLON C1 / SABRE 3 design completed Audit by UKSA & ESA Final design (D1 / SABRE 4) in advanced state “Phase 2” precooler tests nearing completion (over 150 precooler / Viper runs, including for full SABRE flight duration) “Phase 3” activities under review by UKSA & ESA Discussions proceeding with aerospace industry Simplified SABRE Cycle SABRE Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine SKYLON C1 Mass Budget (Dry Vehicle Mass = 42,347 kg) Mass Budget breakdown STRUCTURE SYSTEMS Wing & Leading Edge cooling system 5,115.1 Undercarriage 4,170.0 Fuselage structure 3,974.0 Hydraulics and actuators 1,500.0 Aeroshell, nosecone, supports and seals 3,696.9 Payload bay door and fittings 1,254.2 Main tankage, cryo Insulation & supports 2,736.1 Avionics, electrics and thermal management 1,070.0 Reentry insulation 839.7 APS tankage 176.7 Fin 660.0 Cooling screens 75.0 Foreplanes 500.0 Propellant systems 450.0 Ballast 100.0 Tank boost pumps 300.0 Structure Total 17,621.8 Reentry foreplane water coolant system 25.0 OMS engines (4 Off) 200.0 ENGINE GPSS hardware 490.0 Main Engines 10872.0 Zeolite (repressurisation air cleaner) 50.0 Nacelles 3922.0 Systems Total 9,760.9 Helium feed pump 20.0 Engine start turbopump 150.0 FLUIDS Engine Total 14,964.0 Liquid Hydrogen Propellant 66699.0 Liquid Oxygen Propellant 149,931.0 Other Fluids 5748.0 Aeroshell component masses Mass (kg) Skin (kg/m^2) 1.537 (0.5mm SiC/glass ceramic, corrugated 2x20mm) Hairpin (kg/m^2) 0.442 (25mm deep) Papyex gasket (kg/m^2) 0.097 (2mm thick expanded graphite) Rivets (kg/m^2) 0.242 (3mm dia shank) Support posts (kg/m^2) 0.071 (5cm long, 50 micron wall nickel alloy) Mass / square m without 2.389 margin Mass / square m with inc 15% contingency (kg/m^2) 2.74735 margin 2.74735 (kg/m^2) x 1288 m^2 3,538.6 Fuselage nosecone 158.3 Total 3,696.9 Phase 1 Technology Development Programme Pre-cooler Module Production Progress on the SKYLON and SABRE Development Programmes 5 Phase 1 Technology Development Programme STRICT Progress on the SKYLON and SABRE Development Programmes 4 Phase 1 Technology Development Programme Oxidiser Cooled Chambers In 2010 EADS-Astrium successfully tested a LOX-cooled combustion chamber and an air/film cooled combustion chamber . Testing at DLR Lampoldshausen Progress on the SKYLON and SABRE Development Programmes 3 SKYLON Review UK Space Agency independent review ESA providing technical support Almost 100 invitees attended two day workshop (Sept 2010) Part of wider review including on site audit by ESA REVIEW CONCLUSIONS ‘no impediments or critical items have been identified for either the SKYLON vehicle or the SABRE engine that are a block to further developments’. THE SKYLON LAUNCH SYSTEM CAST UK Visit 25th Oct 2011 SKYLON Evolution Updated payload requirement – 15 tonnes @ 300km Final engine design – SABRE 4 SKYLON D1 design part completed – approx. 50 tonnes heavier (but still lighter than Boeing 747 & much lighter than Airbus A380) The Future Reaction Engines to complete SABRE 4 design to Block 1 CDR (including full cycle demonstration) Finalise SKYLON D1 design (15 tonne payload) Build upon significant interest expressed by institutions and industry in SKYLON / SABRE and progress REL business development SABRE technology is the “crown jewels” that uniquely enables SSTO / RLV SKYLON : 2012 -2014 Full Ground Engine Demo Nacelle Test Vehicle programme Vehicle Design Completion Ready for full development programme Conclusion Sole focus on horizontal take-off SSTO/RLV 30 years of design and technology development Many setbacks after HOTOL, loss of interest and funding, pioneers continue with REL SKYLON Private funding reinstated efforts Breakthrough SABRE technology enables SSTO / RLV: 15 tonnes in LEO enables everything! Institutional (UKSA & ESA) involvement and significant aerospace industry interest. Finally, Eugen Sanger once wrote: “Nevertheless, my silver birds will fly” .
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