Successful green Hydrogen tests at Bulwer Island complete Hypersonix ACA Grant activities

Hypersonix Launch Systems has successfully completed its ACA grant activities, including critical green hydrogen testing of the SPARTAN scramjet engine at Bulwer Island, marking a major advancement in hypersonic technology.

3
min
read
4 May
2022

Table of contents

Hypersonix Launch systems has completed all the activities covered by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy & Resources Accelerating Commercialisation (ACA) grant on time and on budget on 31st March. The grant project called for the manufacture of a scramjet engine prototype SPARTAN and its hydrogen fuel system.

The company conducted high-pressure hydrogen gas flow tests through its additive manufactured (3D-printed) scramjet combustor at Bulwer Island (close to Brisbane airport [on test rigs designed by its engineering team]. The HIL (hardware in the loop) bench top tests were the final series of steps required by the Accelerating Commercialisation grant awarded to Hypersonix in 2020. The successful tests have proven that the scramjet engine fuel system is working as designed and will inform future builds of the fuel system.

Hypersonix Launch Systems 3D printed the SPARTAN scramjet engine in Australia with Amiga Engineering to Hypersonix’ precise specifications, and it was delivered under its Christmas tree to undergo a series of measurements and tests using Nitrogen initially and then hydrogen, through the first quarter.

“The SPARTAN scramjet powers all of Hypersonix’s unmanned hypersonic UAVs currently under development. There is also a composite version of the SPARTAN scramjet engine currently in development”, according to David Waterhouse, Managing Director of Hypersonix.

The 3D printed DART AE technology demonstrator, launching in 2023, will feature a single SPARTAN scramjet engine.

Both the Delta Velos Demonstrator as well as the Delta Velos Orbiter will use four SPARTAN scramjet engines. The Delta Velos Orbiter is the large-scale hypersonic vehicle designed to place small satellites into Low Earth Orbit.

Ryan Whitside, Scramjet Propulsion engineer at Hypersonix said: “It was an extremely exciting and pleasing week to finally run green hydrogen through our 3D printed scramjet engine as part of the testing at Bulwer Island. “

The bench tests were led by Andrew Dann, Engineering Manager at Hypersonix.

The ACA Grant accelerated the Company’s steps to prove its technology, and allowed it to grow the team and introduce processes required to commercialise its products. The team is excited to work on their new funded projects and getting ready for the next build and growth stage of Hypersonix Launch Systems.

Bulwer Island HIL testing set-up

Ryan Whitside, Scramjet Propulsion engineer at Hypersonix said: “It was an extremely exciting and pleasing week to finally run green hydrogen through our 3D printed scramjet engine as part of the testing at Bulwer Island. “

The bench tests were led by Andrew Dann, Engineering Manager at Hypersonix.

Bulwer Island HIL

The ACA Grant accelerated the Company’s steps to prove its technology, and allowed it to grow the team and introduce processes required to commercialise its products. The team is excited to work on their new funded projects and getting ready for the next build and growth stage of Hypersonix Launch Systems.

Bench test
Picture of some of the Hypersonix Engineers. From left to right: Ryan Whitside: Scramjet Propulsion engineer, Syed Zaid Nizami: Aerospace Test engineer, Andrew Dann: Engineering manager, Alexander Ward: Hypersonic Vehicle engineer

About Hypersonix

Hypersonix Launch Systems is an Australian engineering, design and build company specialising in scramjet engines and hypersonic technology. Hypersonix is developing several hypersonic vehicles that fly at hypersonic speeds between Mach 5 and Mach 12 with zero CO2 emissions, only water vapor, and have applications in both satellite launch and high-speed aviation.

Media contact:

Nina Patz
Email: Nina.Patz@hypersonix.com, Phone: 0400 679 499

Share this post:

Get in touch with us

To discuss our scramjet engines, flight systems or launch systems with a Hypersonix representative, please complete the contact form.

Contact us