Thrust WSH to Exhibit at Manufacturing and Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition Scotland 2024
Thrust WSH to Exhibit at Manufacturing and Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition Scotland 2024, Showcasing Innovations in High-Performance Marine Technology and Water Speed Record Research
Thrust WSH, a developer in high-performance marine technology, is very pleased to announce its participation at the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition 2024, taking place on October 23rd and 24th at the SEC, Glasgow. Known for pushing the limits of High-Performance Engineering, Thrust WSH is now into early research into one of the most challenging and elusive performance achievements in history: breaking the outright World water speed record (WSR) which has stood for 45 years.
Thrust WSH and the Water Speed Record Challenge:
Thrust WSH’s ambition to break the current water speed record of 317.596mph, set by Australian Ken Warby in 1978, is driven by a passion for pioneering innovation and extreme performance. The Thrust team has successfully set multiple land speed records—including 633.468mph World Land Speed Record with Thrust2 and in 1997 the 763.032mph/Mach 1.02 World Supersonic record with the 110,000 THP ThrustSSC—the first and only holder of the supersonic land speed record, The challenge of breaking the WSR presents a very different and extraordinary engineering challenge
Inspired by 1952 challenger John Cobb and designer Reid Railton, developing the Crusader challenger on Loch Ness, in 2020 the Thrust WSH team began exploring the possibilities of setting a new water speed record in 2020. Initial research included creating a number of jet-powered research models -starting with Railtons Crusader 2– the idea being to learn the subject from its absolute basics. The research programme involved four universities and the most advanced high-performance marine laboratory in Europe.
The WSR has an appalling history of accidents and the Thrust plan is to mitigate this with advanced technology. To achieve a new world record means making use of the most advanced technology available – and where there is a technology deficiency, creating and developing new applications to enable the project to advance. At an early stage, it was realised that the development of the traditional surface skimming hydroplane was becoming excessively dangerous and there was a need for entirely new technology to control the challenger and reduce risk Traditional hydrofoil technology, known since 1918 appears to have reached a limit at 60 or 70kts when the flow over the upper surface of the foil boils or cavitates and all lift is lost.
However, supercavitating propellers have been around for a long time and the Thrust Team argued that the time had come to develop supercavitating hydrofoils which might allow very high speeds. Two years of high-performance computing for the hydro and aero challenges suggests that this might be possible. Just like the supersonic ThrustSSC programme of 1997 the way forward appears to be the coupling of high-performance computing with advanced physical modelling.
To this end, the team plan to run the latest C3.2B 225mph autonomous model on a Scottish loch in winter when it is cold but the tourists and fishers are seldom active.
The Thrust WSH is planned primarily as a safe project and to achieve this, each stage of the project commences with a thorough risk analysis to mitigate hazards. While this might seem as excessively bureaucratic -it is already generating major benefits and very welcome.
It is important to understand that the C3.2B 25% autonomous model represents a world-first advance -and of course, there are the traditional risks attached to such testing. A good result on the loch means that the team can progress to the structural design and build of the full-scale C6 challenger. But of course, this is never expected to be easy, but the 30-person Thrust team is cautiously positive.
In the past land or water speed records were heroic devices to benefit the driver who took the physical risks. During the team’s 2008-2018 Bloodhound project, we were invited by the MOD to establish a parallel STEM education programme to encourage schools’ and students’ interest in STEM subjects using all the project design and data as a live education programme. The success of this arrangement was outstanding for by 2017 the programme was engaging with over 120,000 students and schoolkids a year. Unfortunately, the Bloodhound SSC programme was lost when the UK government failed to pay a ministerial grant offer.
The project plans to establish a follow-up education programme which could help the manufacturing industry with current recruiting difficulties.
Why Visit the Thrust WSH Stand?
– Discover the latest advancements in marine supercavitating hydrofoil systems designed for speed, and safety .
– Thrust WSH are actively seeking component & composite suppliers and contacts.
-Meet the Scottish team from Xi Engineering Consultants who are processing all the critical Thrust research model performance data
– Learn about Thrust WSH’s journey toward potentially breaking the water speed record, and the innovative design and risk mitigation efforts that are driving this research
Statement from the Thrust WSH Project Director
“We’ve set multiple World land speed records, but the water speed record is a whole new challenge,” said Richard Noble OBE, Project Director of Thrust WSH. In the past the record had an appalling safety record -and our objective is to demonstrate that the use of advanced predictive technology can make high-speed performance on water safe and reliable. There is a great deal to learn yet and when we get to build the fullscale challenger we hope to make the high-speed record runs in Scotland.
Richard Noble OBE, Project Director of Thrust WSH
Register for Manufacturing Expo Scotland:
Join Thrust WSH and other industry leaders at the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition 2024. Registration is free and available at :
