Pulse Detonation Propulsion has taken the world by storm.

Volkswagen Audi have used Boeing’s new patented PDP technology to boost their electric hybrid motor vehicles and have literally blown their competition away, performance wise.

Boeing’s technology is built on a platform of propulsion systems initially developed for satellites and uses a high energy density fuel called Super-Nitro, which is based on advanced poly-nitrogen chemistry. The fuel can be produced using any available primary energy source and liberates consumers from their addiction to oil.

Large volumes of the fuel are highly explosive but Boeing’s innovative design uses billions of nanotube structures to isolate minute quantities that are individually detonated to produce the desired amount of thrust.

Consumers are delighted. The hybrid electric rocket-powered Audi is now the most fuel efficient super-car on the road.

ANALYSIS >> SYNTHESIS: How this scenario came to be

The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) describes PDP by saying “Fuel and oxidizers are mixed and ignited in a tube and a detonation pulse is propagated rearward, exiting and producing thrust. Pulses occur many times per second, and a system is infinitely throttleable in rocket mode.” NASA, who is working on this concept with several contractors, believes that this Pulse Detonation Propulsion (PDP) concept could be applied to applications in space and aircraft.

Propulsion is based on high energy density fuel in the form of poly-nitrogen chemistry. Large quantities of the fuel are highly explosive but Boeing’s innovative design uses billions of nanotube structures to isolate minute quantities that are individually detonated to produce the desired amount of thrust. Specially developed composite materials use Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS) to improve their thermal and physical properties. Engines are powered by replacing fuel rods, which can be recycled and replaced at any service facility and 80% of traditional fuel stations.

1997: Revolutionary satellite propulsion technology (XIPS)>
PanAmSat Corporation’s PAS-5 is the world’s first commercial satellite to carry a revolutionary propulsion system which is 10 times more efficient than conventional chemical rocket propulsion systems. This Xenon Ion Propulsion System (XIPS) is used on the satellite’s orbit maintaining elevation control and not on the primary launch vehicle. Hughes Space and Communications Company uses the new Boeing XIPS technology in their satellite design.

2008: Boeing and GE form propulsion technology partnership>
Following a surge in merger and acquisition activity in 2007, GE makes a friendly bid for Boeing. The bid is unsuccessful but in the negotiations Boeing agrees to form a strategic partnership with GE to develop new propulsion technologies.

2012: PDP technology successfully commercialised in the aviation industry>
Boeing and GE scientists have successfully targeted the commercial aircraft market and developed hybrid aircraft engines based on Pulsed Detonation Propulsion (PDP). These simplified engines are cheaper because they are made with fewer parts. They are easier to service and maintain. The biggest advantage is that these engines have much higher efficiencies than the previous generation of turbo fans and have dramatically extended the range of aircraft, cut fuel costs and reduced emissions. This is good news to the aviation industry, who have been under extreme pressure from commitments to the EU Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme.

2013: Post 2012 Kyoto commitments>
Following months of negotiations a new carbon emissions agreement is finalised in Rio. The Rio Protocol effectively replaces the Kyoto Protocol and includes the most important developing countries: China, India, Brasil and South Africa. The deal relied on the inclusion of developing countries as a prerequisite for the USA and Australia to join the initiative. The Protocol calls for an aggressive target of a 50% reduction in all greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It places emphasis on transport fuels (specifically road vehicles and aircraft).

2015: Volkswagen launch the Audi PDP Hybrid>
Audi has set a new gold standard benchmark in fuel economy. The Volkswagen Audi PDP-Electric Hybrid achieves 300 mpge (miles per US gallon equivalent). Using Boeing’s state-of-the-art PDP technology Audi has turned a fuel efficient but sluggish electric vehicle into a top performance sports car. The PDP engine is much more powerful and efficient than the internal combustion engine normally used to give life to a traditional hybrid.

The PDP fuel, Super-Nitro, is a revolutionary product based on polynitrogen chemistry. This fuel is produced from nitrogen separated from the air. The process is energy intensive and can be powered by any available primary energy source (E.g. nuclear, renewable energy, crude oil or coal using CSS, a carbon capture and storage technique). Motorists are no longer entirely dependent on oil imports. Environmentalists are happy that this technology offers significant advances in reducing carbon emissions.

The Audi PDP is now the most efficient car on the road. With the oil price hovering at US$115/bbl everyone wants to own one.