Pulse Detonation Engines: The Future of Aviation

Posted by michael on Thursday August 14, 2003 @01:49PM from the knock-and-ping dept.

noah_fense writes "Popular Science is running an interesting article about the race to replace the jet turbine with a more efficient source of Mach-breaking airpower: the pulse-detonation engine. It works by detonating (instead of slow burning) fuel hundreds to thousands of times a second. PDE technology is poised to make supersonic passenger flights and space travel affordable. 'Pulse detonation is a hot topic in combustion research,' says Gabriel Roy of the Office of Naval Research. 'Compared with gas turbines, the PDE has a much simpler configuration. It has the capability of going from subsonic to supersonic using less fuel, and it's thermodynamically more efficient. But there are big engineering issues--thermal fatigue, noise. It's very challenging research.'"

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Momma, I'm going to outer space! by useosx · 2003-08-14 13:52 · Score: -1, Troll

Just as soon as I can figure out how to climb up Bill Gates or Ross Perot's ass!
Pulse jet!?!?! by freeze128 · 2003-08-14 13:59 · Score: 0, Troll

I can just see the panic now.... Thousands of people in Europe thinking that the Nazi's are back and launching buzz bombs at them!
I HAVE A HAIRY SWEATY BALLSACK, JA? by Anonymous Coward · 2003-08-14 14:14 · Score: -1, Troll
WARNING PARENT POST IS GOATSE LINK! by Anonymous Coward · 2003-08-14 15:22 · Score: -1, Troll

Warning: parent post is goatse.cx link!