Supersonic car gets a power boost

The equipment will be used in in the development of the Bloodhound Supersonic Car, a jet engine and rocket powered racing car, as the team prepares for an attempt to set a 1000mph world land speed record in 2016.

At 13.5m in length and weighing 7.5t, the car will need to produce 135,000 thrust horse power to reach mach 1.4, which is six times more power than all the cars on a Formula 1 starting grid combined.

The Bristol facility has been supplied by Atlas Copco Compressors with a GA15VSD+ FF full feature rotary screw compressor, together with filtration and a 5000L air receiver with all components linked via AIRnet modular aluminium pipework. The project’s Newquay Aerohub site has taken delivery of a GX4 fixed-speed compressor, plus a 250L receiver destined for general engineering duties. 

Both workshops have been supported with a range of assembly air tools, hosing and couplings, provided by sponsor Atlas Copco Tools for vehicle build and test operations, initially for the assembly and fabrication on areas of the build, such as assembling the stabilising fin and fitting the titanium floor under the supersonic car’s 13.5m long carbon fibre and metal framed monocoque body. Going forwards, Atlas Copco Tools will be working with the build engineers to identify safety critical applications and solutions, where the ability to ensure critical fastenings are achieved to design specifications. For example where torque measurement, angle rundown and batch counting are required.

Chris Dee, the Bloodhound Project’s lead assembly and build engineer, said: "We need the ability to simulate the start-up procedure for the EJ200 turbofan jet engine that involves the vehicle’s software, hydraulic pumps and AC/DC circuits. In our ‘dry’ workshop test operation, the whole of the 5000L air receiver’s contents of 3.5 bar compressed air will be released in just 30 seconds to actuate the jet engine turbine rotation, an essential preliminary to scheduled live tie-down and 200mph test runs in 2015, when the airport facility is available.”