X-Nico

Liquid air cycle engine

LACE was studied to some extent in the USA during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and by late 1960 Marquardt had a testbed system running.

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Both Marquardt and General Dynamics were involved in the research, and by late 1960 Marquardt had a testbed system running that was capable of running a 275 lbf (1.2 kN) thrust engine for minutes at a time.

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Compression is achieved through the ram-air effect in an intake similar to that found on a high-speed aircraft like Concorde, where intake ramps create shock waves that compress the air.

see also