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Originally Posted by goku i think they already use what you are talking about, they call it a rocket engine … i'm thinking jet engines are about as efficient as they can get, sure the compresser fan is heavy but it is doing two fuctions. it is compressing and acting as a propeller. |
I agree – qumf’s idea seems a form of rocket, since the system that supplies oxidant – air in this case – isn’t, from what I can gather, meant to provide much if any propulsion.
It also appears to share features of pistons engine and
pulse jets – the engine used in the
V-1 “buzz bomb” goku mentions. This is an interesting, promising design, because it suggests that the engine’s fuel-air ratio could be carefully regulated, and the combustion pattern made very clean and efficient. While it might be less efficient than a conventional, high-bypass
turbofan jet engine, the design might prove much cleaner, especially if a natural gas or hydrogen is used as fuel.
Other advantage that come to mind: unlike most turbofan engines, the design could work well at super-sonic speeds; the flexibility in placing the intake lends itself to the flexible placement of exhausts, making it promising for crafts like the
Moller Skycar. Despite popular enthusiasm this vehicle, it continues to be plagued by such severe technical problems that I seriously doubt that the current design will every fly – doubts apparently shared by the US SEC, which recently filed this
lawsuit for fraud agains Moller.
I’m interested in seeing some preliminary numeric estimates of the proposed engine’s power, weight, and efficiency, and hope that qumf can provide them, as well as sketches, soon.