Rotating Detonation Wave Propulsion: Experimental Challenges, Modeling, and Engine Concepts

Abstract

Rotating detonation engines (RDEs), also known as continuous detonation engines, have gained much worldwide interest lately. Such engines have huge potential benefits arising from their simplicity of design and manufacture, lack of moving parts, high thermodynamic efficiency and high rate of energy conversion that may be even more superior than pulse detonation engines, themselves the subject of great interest. However, due to the novelty of the concept, substantial work remains to demonstrate feasibility and bring the RDE to reality. An assessment of the challenges, ranging from understanding basic physics through utilizing rotating detonations in aerospace platforms, is provided.

Propagation of gaseous detonation waves in a spatially inhomogeneous reactive medium

“…In propulsive applications of detonative combustion, such as the rotating detonation engine (RDE), the detonable mixture is often created by the dynamic injection of fuel and oxidizer immediately ahead of the propagating detonation that may not have time to completely mix, resulting in large spatial variations in chemical reactivity. [10] Inhomogeneity in density, temperature, and particle velocity might also be present, under certain conditions, due to pre-existing turbulence (again, likely to be encountered in RDEs, for example). Examination of the effect of spatial inhomogeneities on the propagation behavior of gaseous detonation waves is of importance to treat these scenarios.…”

Numerical simulation of a Rotating Detonation with a realistic injector designed for separate supply of gaseous hydrogen and oxygen

“…However the research activity in that field has strengthened in the last two decades with the possibility to perform complex unsteady numerical simulations which complement 5 the experimental work achieved to evaluate the feasibility and expected gain of Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE) concepts. The issues that must be tackled to bring these concepts to reality are summarized in different papers such as [4,5,6]. A large amount of experimental work has been carried out with the objective to clearly identify these issues and prepare technological solu-10 tions.…”

Experimental investigation on detonation combustion patterns of hydrogen/vitiated air within annular combustor

“…Compared with deflagration, detonation combustion is more attractive for its high efficiency, high intense and rapid energy conversion process [1][2][3].…”