The Poles are afraid that there will be enough coal for the winter, and the Chinese will fill their planes with it. Scientists from the Celestial Empire are testing jet engines that run on a mixture based on specially treated carbon.
Chinese scientists cannot be denied ingenuity. As it turns out, the researchers are currently working on a new engine that will use ethylene and carbon. A machine equipped in this way should perform supersonic flights and significantly reduce costs.
The Chinese are testing the engine on coal and ethylene
In the journal Acta Armamentarii, Chinese scientists argue that a prototype propulsion jet powered by a mixture of coal dust and ethylene could significantly reduce the cost of commercial supersonic flight.
During ground tests, a prototype using an inexpensive mixture was able to produce impulses of over 2 km/s, which is six times the speed of sound. It has also been tested in difficult conditions that may occur during flight - incl. high or low oxygen levels or static electricity.
Coal-fired aircraft - the future?
The key here is the extremely economical fuel - ethylene is one of the most common by-products of refineries. Coal is currently the main source of power for Chinese power plants.
- Coal dust has a high energy density, is very safe and cheap. This gives it many advantages as a fuel for this type of engine, said study leader Weng Chongsheng, a professor at Nanjing University of Science and Technology.
The main goal of the program is to create an engine that will allow long and smooth flights at Mach 7. Scientists are also working on a version that runs on carbon and hydrogen. In general, the share of carbon jet engines is expected to be up to 20 percent. more efficient than currently used.
Source: Wprost
