I’m still smiling after the amazing weekend we had recently at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.  BLOODHOUND’s huge marquee was packed out with Festival-goers talking to the team about the BLOODHOUND Show Car, its EJ200 jet engine, the massive aluminum diffuser floor (which had literally come straight from the factory) and the huge range of other bits we had on display.  Press interest was also intense, with 2 TV crews fighting each other for space at one stage.  I dread to think what it’s going to be like when we’re running the Car…. 

One at a Time, Please

Outside, the kids were busy making and racing BLOODHOUND rocket cars (which is both difficult and impressive!), next to my personal favourite, the display of previous World Land Speed Record cars. 

It was fascinating the compare some of the all-time greats side-by-side.  The oldest car was Malcolm Campbell’s original ‘Bluebird’, the 350 hp Sunbeam.  This was the last track-racing car to hold the World Record, as every Record car after this one was purpose-built for the job. 

The ‘1000 hp Sunbeam’ was there to remind us of the power of advertising.  This car was powered by 2 Sunbeam Matabele engines, which dated back to the First World War.  Each engine produced 435 hp, so 2 of them produced….. rather less than 1000.  However, if you write ‘1000 hp’ on the side of your car in large enough letters, you’d be amazed how many people will believe you.  

The Power of Advertising

They were telling the truth about the speed, though, as the Sunbeam was the first car to exceed 200 mph.  This may not sound very fast by today’s standards, but in 1927, it was quite literally eye-watering for Segrave, who raced this car down Florida’s Daytona Beach in an open cockpit. 

The ‘1000 hp’ Sunbeam didn’t hold the record for long, as Campbell and American driver Ray Keech quickly set faster records.  Segrave responded with the beautiful Golden Arrow, which was perhaps the most efficient World Land Speed Record car in history.  2 test runs in February of 1929, then 2 record runs in March, for a new World Record of 231 mph.  Campbell was devastated, as he’d just spent 6 months (and a lot of money) preparing a track in the Northern Cape of South Africa, and his car would only do about 215 mph.  While Campbell missed his chance, I’m glad to say that the Northern Cape will finally get to host a World Land Speed Record, when BLOODHOUND SSC starts running there in 2015. 

Campbell finished his career in 1935, setting the first ever record over 300 mph in the final version of ‘Bluebird’, which was also at Goodwood.  Campbell had somehow managed to borrow a prototype engine (which was still classified) from the British Government.  The Rolls-Royce Type R engine, from the Schneider Trophy air race programme, gave him 2300 hp to play with.  

Bluebird and BLOODHOUND
– world-beating engines

I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised that Campbell managed to borrow such a special engine.  BLOODHOUND SSC is also borrowing an ex-Government prototype, in this case a development version of the Typhoon’s EJ200 engine, one of the best engines in the world.  Campbell would have approved. 

Malcolm’s son, Donald Campbell, also set a World Land Speed Record, in the extraordinary Bluebird CN7.  This amazing design first appeared in public in 1960, running at the Goodwood race track (very slowly – it didn’t do corners well) and this year it was back at Goodwood, on public display once again. 

Golden Arrow (1929) watches Bluebird (1964)

This car had a composite bonded chassis, a head-up display, data logging and telemetry – it was literally decades ahead of its time.  This was the last car to set a record by driving through the wheels.  By the start of the 1960s, the jet age had arrived and Bluebird’s 403 mph record was very quickly eclipsed by the jet car speeds of over 600 mph. 

Since Bluebird, every Land Speed Record has been set using jet power, with one exception.  The Blue Flame, the last of the record cars on display at Goodwood this year, is the car to use rocket power to set a World Land Speed Record.  That’s about to change though – BLOODHOUND will be using a huge hybrid rocket, as well as the EJ200 jet engine, to power its way to 1000 mph.  If you haven’t seen the video of the BLOODHOUND rocket test last year, it’s worth a look.  Rocket power is delightfully simple, carrying both its fuel and oxidizer, and is generally smaller and lighter than a jet engine of similar power. 

More Power, Less Weight

The Blue Flame used the same oxidizer that BLOODHOUND SSC will be using.  Concentrated hydrogen peroxide is also known as ‘high test’ peroxide, or HTP for short, and chemically it consists of H₂O₂ – a water molecule with an extra oxygen atom.  The HTP is forced through a catalyst pack with multiple layers of silver-plated mesh, which breaks the H₂O₂ down into water (H₂O) and oxygen, and releases lots of heat.  The big difference between the 2 cars is the the fuel – the Blue Flame used liquid natural gas (which is where the name ‘Blue Flame’ came from), while BLOODHOUND is using solid rubber (specifically, hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene, if you really want to know).

The big problem with rockets is the huge amount of fuel (and oxidizer) that they consume.  The Blue Flame was so heavy when it set off that it used to run out of fuel well before the end of the measured mile.  Their team eventually used a rolling start, pushing the Blue Flame with a Ford V8 to get it moving, which saved just enough fuel to set the Record. 

Push-start?  Really?

I’m not sure if this solution would be legal under the current FIA rules, which require a Land Vehicle to be propelled ‘by its own means’, but in any case BLOODHOUND has found a better solution.  We’ve got the EJ200 jet engine to get us up to over 300 mph (which qualifies as a pretty good push start!).  At this point, the rocket joins in to give BLOODHOUND around 2 ‘G’ of acceleration (that’s the equivalent of zero to 60 mph in one-point-five seconds – in other words, a lot).  By using a jet and a rocket, we’ve got the best of both worlds. 

This month we’ve been discussing BLOODHOUND engine performance with Rolls-Royce.  The great news is that we will be able to use full power immediately, from stationary.  This might sound obvious, but for jet engines it’s not a given.  For aircraft, which need a lot of power at low speed for takeoff, the size of the intake is a compromise to provide reasonable performance at all speeds.  For BLOODHOUND, the intake is optimised for high speed (around Mach 1.2, or 900+ mph) to give minimum drag and maximum power as we approach 1000 mph.  However, nothing comes for free.  The 900 mph intake is too small to allow the jet to suck in the air it needs for full power when the Car is moving slowly. 

EJ200 Power

The clever solution to this (which has taken a lot of help from Rolls-Royce) is to fit extra intakes on the sides of BLOODHOUND’s body, known as ‘auxiliary’ intakes, to provide extra air for full power at low speed.  This solution (which is also used by a lot of military aircraft) means that we don’t waste any time (or distance) in getting the engine up to full power and accelerating the Car.  It will allow us to do full-power static tests of the engine, once it’s installed in the Car.  It will also let me select full power for the runway tests in the UK, which should be quite a sight.  I won’t get to see it, of course, (I’ll be inside the Car) but you can come and watch.  We’ll have a UK test day for our 1K Supporters Club members – join here for an invitation to watch a 1000 mph Car being tested. 

Before we install the engine, each separate piece of the system will be tested.  This has already started, with the EJ200’s ‘AMAD’ gearbox already mounted on a test rig. 

Gearbox Testing

The gearbox is being spun up to 10,500 RPM, the speed at which the generator kicks in, so that we can test the generator control circuits as well.  The generator’s job is to produce the alternating current (AC) electricity for the fuel pumps.  The pumps will in turn feed high pressure Jet-A fuel to the EJ200 at maximum power (which you can come and watch, if you’ve just used the link above to join the Supporters’ Club…..).  If you want to build a 1000 mph Car and run it safely, which we do, then there’s a lot to testing to be done first. 

Our Supply Chain Manager, Conor La Grue, has just produced a summary of the build activity, and there’s a lot going on.  The chassis side rails are now in position, so the team is starting to work on the upper chassis, where the EJ200 will hang.  In about 10,000 rivets time, they will complete the structure to mount the jet engine in the Car.  Can’t wait to see the engine installed: it’s going to look amazing. 

Waiting for a Jet Engine

The chassis was joined for the first time last month, with Government assistance.  The Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister for Science, did up the first nut to join the carbon fibre monocoque (my ‘1000 mph office’) to the rear lower chassis.  His support for the BLOODHOUND Education Programme was even more welcome, as he announced a £1M Engineering and Physical Science Research Council grant to support BLOODHOUND’s research and education efforts.  There’s a national shortage of scientists and engineers, and BLOODHOUND’s ‘Engineering Adventure’ is already making a difference, so this grant is a big vote of confidence for our education team.  We’ve got around 5500 schools signed up in the UK – if your local school isn’t already taking part, get them to sign up here.  It’s time for an Adventure…..