Gems Supports Project to Set New World Land Speed Record

May 3, 2017

The current land speed record is 763.035 mph. The BLOODHOUND SSC Project hopes to set a new record of 1000 mph.

Accomplishing such a feat requires a substantial amount of thrust – 47,500lbs of thrust, which is equivalent to 135,000 thrust horsepower, to be exact. To produce this, the BLOODHOUND Supersonic Car combines three hybrid rocket motors with a Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine. Additionally, a unique fuel system is required that can reliably deliver 500 liters of aviation fuel to the jet under sustained loads of up to +2g acceleration and -3g deceleration.

With such advanced equipment, it is crucial to conduct thorough tests, validate the results, and then monitor them closely. That’s where Gems comes in. Gems’ sensors are on some of the most crucial parts of the BLOODHOUND – the Jet engine, the Jet A1 fuel tank, the HTP rocket pump chain transfer gearbox, hydraulics on the winglets and high-speed air brakes, to name a few – as well as the test rigs analyzing the data and preparing the car.

In December 2016 and January 2017, Gems proudly supported the BLOODHOUND SSC Project during a crucial jet fuel test. Gems’ sensors helped to monitor the tests and validate the results.

Current Land Speed Record holder and driver Andy Green holds a Gems Sensors pressure transducer on the Bloodhound SSC.

In addition to setting the new world land speed record, the Bloodhound SSC Project's mission is to inspire the next generation of engineers by promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. In doing so, they will openly share data with the project's followers. Data for each planned run will be available for analysis.

The Bloodhound team is building the car using a jet engine and a single mono-propellant rocket this year. It will then be tested on the runway at Newquay in England later this year. They plan to run the car the following year at the Hakskeen Pan in South Africa, reaching speeds of up to 800MPH, before reworking it to fit three hybrid rocket motors. This will allow the car to accelerate to an average speed of 1000MPH through the measured mile.

Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting and ambitious project!