Fine Tubes supplies tubes for engine of groundbreaking space plane

The collaboration between Fine Tubes and an Oxfordshire based engineering company has resulted in the development of a space plane which could revolutionise space travel.

Reaction Engines Ltd., based in Abingdon has designed a unique new engine combining the best features of jet and rocket engines in a single power plant. This hybrid engine has been created specifically for use in a reusable space plane called SKYLON which can take off and land from a runway and can operate at 1/50th of the cost of existing rockets. The unpiloted space plane is intended to provide inexpensive and reliable access to space. Expected to be ready for launch in 2020, it is being developed mainly for use as a cargo transporter but could be adapted to fly passengers, who would be amongst the first ‘space tourists‘.

SKYLON space plane

The engine first cools, then compresses air from the atmosphere which it burns with hydrogen to provide thrust; it then uses a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen to propel the plane into space. Fine Tubes has been instrumental in producing key parts for the pre-cooler system which cools the air for the engine intake and has provided the breakthrough in the design of the SABRE engine.

Paul Mallett, Business Development Executive for the Aerospace market at Fine Tubes explains, “The pre coolers need thousands of metres of very thin tubing, so we specially designed a tube for Reaction Engines with less than 1mm Outer Diameter and a wall thickness of just 40 microns - that is about half the size of a human hair. The tubing has to be this small because each engine will need over two kilometres of tube to exchange the heat effectively.”

Heat exchanger module team at Reaction Engines where Fine Tubes’ heat exchanger tubes are tested for performance in high temperature and high pressure environments.

Reaction Engines is currently testing the feasibility of the pre cooler, to demonstrate its performance and has recently been given the ‘green light’ by UK Space Agency (UKSA) who had commissioned the European Space Agency (ESA)for the technical assessment and evaluation of the design of the space craft who agreed with the objectives of the proposed next stage of the development programme.

The company’s corporate programmes director, Robert Bond says it has been an enormous challenge. “No one else has managed to create heat exchangers like this before and the specifications for the components are very demanding. The tube itself is made from a nickel alloy that is very resistant to temperature, and the quality of the tubes is crucial to the success of the project as they must have the integrity to withstand extremely high pressure helium.” He adds, “There are a few other companies which produce the kind of high technology tube we need but the Fine Tubes product is extremely high quality, meeting all the project specifications and we are very pleased with its performance.”

Fine Tubes Paul Mallett agrees that the project has been demanding - but also very rewarding, “It was an extremely challenging product to create: it is essential that the tube retains its concentricity but because the wall is so thin, it is also very susceptible to damage. We also needed to install specialist equipment to enable us to pump cleaning fluid through the tube, as we had never carried out this procedure on such a minimal scale before.” He smiles, “However, it is immensely satisfying to collaborate on such a high calibre project such as this and contribute to a development of global importance. We have very much enjoyed working with Reaction Engines over the past 10 years and are looking forward to the next 10... at which time the SKYLON will hopefully be ready for its first launch.”