Experimental research on the instability propagation characteristics of liquid kerosene rotating detonation wave

In order to study the instability propagation characteristics of the liquid kerosene rotating detonation wave(RDW),a series of experimental tests were carried out on the rotating detonation combustor(RDC)with air-heater.The fuel and oxidizer are room-temperature liquid kerosene and preheated oxygenenriched air,respectively.The experimental tests keep the equivalence ratio of 0.81 and the oxygen mass fraction of 35%unchanged,and the total mass flow rate is maintained at about 1000 g/s,changing the total temperature of the oxygen-enriched air from 620 K to 860 K.Three different types of instability were observed in the experiments:temporal and spatial instability,mode transition and re-initiation.The interaction between RDW and supply plenum may be the main reason for the fluctuations of detonation wave velocity and pressure peaks with time.Moreover,the inconsistent mixing of fuel and oxidizer at different circumferential positions is related to RDW oscillate spatially.The phenomenon of single-double-single wave transition is analyzed.During the transition,the initial RDW weakens until disappears,and the compression wave strengthens until it becomes a new RDWand propagates steadily.The increased deflagration between the detonation products and the fresh gas layer caused by excessively high temperature is one of the reasons for the RDC quenching and re-initiation.

Effects of total pressures and equivalence ratios on kerosene/air rotating detonation engines using a paralleling CE/SE method

In this paper,the kerosene/air rotating detonation engines(RDE)are numerically investigated,and the emphasis is laid on the effects of total pressures and equivalence ratios on the operation characteristics of RDE including the initiation,instabilities,and propulsive performance.A hybrid MPI t OpenMP parallel computing model is applied and it is proved to be able to obtain a more effective parallel performance on high performance computing(HPC)systems.A series of cases with the total pressure of 1 MPa,1.5 MPa,2 MPa,and the equivalence ratio of 0.9,1,1.4 are simulated.On one hand,the total pressure shows a significant impact on the instabilities of rotating detonation waves.The instability phenomenon is observed in cases with low total pressure(1 MPa)and weakened with the increase of the total pressure.The total pressure has a small impact on the detonation wave velocity and the specific impulse.On the other hand,the equivalence ratio shows a negligible influence on the instabilities,while it affects the ignition process and accounts for the detonation velocity deficit.It is more difficult to initiate rotating detonation waves directly in the lean fuel operation condition.Little difference was observed in the thrust with different equivalence ratios of 0.9,1,and 1.4.The highest specific impulse was obtained in the lean fuel cases,which is around 2700 s.The findings could provide insights into the understanding of the operation characteristics of kerosene/air RDE.

Influence of propagation direction on operation performance of rotating detonation combustor with turbine guide vane

Due to the pressure gain combustion characteristics,the rotating detonation combustor(RDC)can enhance thermodynamic cycle efficiency.Therefore,the performance of gas-turbine engine can be further improved with this combustion technology.In the present study,the RDC operation performance with a turbine guide vane(TGV)is experimentally investigated.Hydrogen and air are used as propellants while hydrogen and air mass flow rate are about 16.1 g/s and 500 g/s and the equivalence ratio is about 1.0.A pre-detonator is used to ignite the mixture.High-frequency dynamic pressure transducers and silicon pressure sensors are employed to measure pressure oscillations and static pressure in the combustion chamber.The experimental results show that the steady propagation of rotating detonation wave(RDW)is observed in the combustion chamber and the mean propagation velocity is above 1650 m/s,reaching over 84%of theoretical Chapman-Jouguet detonation velocity.Clockwise and counterclockwise propagation directions of RDW are obtained.For clockwise propagation direction,the static pressure is about 15%higher in the combustor compared with counterclockwise propagation direction,but the RDW dominant frequency is lower.When the oblique shock wave propagates across the TGV,the pressure oscillations reduces significantly.In addition,as the detonation products flow through the TGV,the static pressure drops up to 32%and 43%for clockwise and counterclockwise propagation process respectively.

Experimental study on propagation characteristics of rotating detonation wave with kerosene fuel-rich gas

In this study, kerosene fuel-rich gas produced by the combustion in the gas generator was used as the fuel and oxygen-rich air was used as the oxidant to investigate the propagation characteristics of the rotating detonation wave (RDW). The initiation of the kerosene fuel-rich gas and propagation process of the RDW were analyzed. The influences of the oxygen content in the oxidizer, kerosene mass flow rate of the gas generator, and temperature of the kerosene fuel-rich gas on the propagation process of the RDW were studied. The experimental results revealed that the propagation velocity of the RDW could be improved by increasing the three parameters mentioned above with the kerosene mass flow rate as the strongest factor. The minimum oxygen content that could successfully initiate and maintain the stable propagation of the RDW was 32%, achieving the RDW velocity of 1141.9 m/s. The RDW mainly propagated as two-counter rotating waves and a single wave when the equivalent ratios were 0.62–0.79 and 0.85–0.87, respectively. The highest RDW velocity of 1637.2 m/s was obtained when the kerosene mass flow rate, oxygen content, and equivalent ratio were 74.6 g/s, 44%, and 0.87, respectively.

Numerical study on three-dimensional flow field of continuously rotating detonation in a toroidal chamber

Gaseous detonation propagating in a toroidal chamber was numerically studied for hydrogen/oxygen/nitrogen mixtures. The numerical method used is based on the three-dimensional Euler equations with detailed finiterate chemistry. The results show that the calculated streak picture is in qualitative agreement with the picture recorded by a high speed streak camera from published literature. The three-dimensional flow field induced by a continuously rotating detonation was visualized and distinctive features of the rotating detonations were clearly depicted. Owing to the unconfined character of detonation wavelet, a deficit of detonation parameters was observed. Due to the effects of wall geometries, the strength of the outside detonation front is stronger than that of the inside portion. The detonation thus propagates with a constant circular velocity. Numerical simulation also shows three-dimensional rotating detonation structures, which display specific feature of the detonation- shock combined wave. Discrete burning gas pockets are formed due to instability of the discontinuity. It is believed that the present study could give an insight into the interest- ing properties of the continuously rotating detonation, and is thus beneficial to the design of continuous detonation propulsion systems.

Particle path tracking method in two- and three-dimensional continuously rotating detonation engines

The particle path tracking method is proposed and used in two-dimensional（2D） and three-dimensional（3D） numerical simulations of continuously rotating detonation engines（CRDEs）. This method is used to analyze the combustion and expansion processes of the fresh particles, and the thermodynamic cycle process of CRDE. In a 3D CRDE flow field, as the radius of the annulus increases, the no-injection area proportion increases, the non-detonation proportion decreases, and the detonation height decreases. The flow field parameters on the 3D mid annulus are different from in the 2D flow field under the same chamber size. The non-detonation proportion in the 3D flow field is less than in the 2D flow field. In the 2D and 3D CRDE, the paths of the flow particles have only a small fluctuation in the circumferential direction. The numerical thermodynamic cycle processes are qualitatively consistent with the three ideal cycle models, and they are right in between the ideal F–J cycle and ideal ZND cycle. The net mechanical work and thermal efficiency are slightly smaller in the 2D simulation than in the 3D simulation. In the 3D CRDE, as the radius of the annulus increases, the net mechanical work is almost constant, and the thermal efficiency increases. The numerical thermal efficiencies are larger than F–J cycle, and much smaller than ZND cycle.

Experimental research on rotating detonation with liquid hypergolic propellants

This paper describes experimental research into the initiation and propagation of rotating detonation for liquid Nitrogen TetrOxide(NTO) and liquid MonoMethylHydrazine(MMH).An annular rocket-type combustor without nozzle was designed to investigate detonation combustion. The propellants were injected through unlike impingement injectors. The combustion flame fronts and pressure waves were detected using optical diagnostics and dynamic pressure sensors,respectively. The propagation of rotating detonation was established spontaneously by increasing the mass flow rate of propellants. The velocity of propagation of the flame fronts and pressure waves was nearly equal and reaches supersonic speed. Two different detonation combustion patterns are present, single wave mode and double waves mode. And in double waves mode, the two detonation waves are always counter-rotating. The possibility of rotating detonation initiation in a combustor with nozzle was also checked. Stable rotating detonation can be initialized and sustained at similar operating conditions.

Operational mode transition in a rotating detonation engine

The relationship between the number of detonation waves and the evolution process of the flow field in a rotating detonation engine was investigated through a numerical analysis.The simulations were based on the Euler equation and a detailed chemical reaction model.In the given engine model,the flow-field evolution became unstable when a single detonation wave was released.New detonation waves formed spontaneously,changing the operational mode from single-wave to four-wave.However,when two or three detonation waves were released,the flow field evolved in a quasi-steady manner.Further study revealed that the newly formed detonation wave resulted from an accelerated chemical reaction on the contact surface between the detonation products and the reactive mixture.To satisfy the stable propagation requirements of detonation waves,we proposed a parameter called NL,which can be compared with the number of detonation waves in the combustor to predict the evolution(quasi-stable or unstable)of the flow field.Finally,we verified the effectiveness of NL in a redesigned engine.This study may assist the operational mode control in rotating detonation engine experiments.

Effects of the geometrical parameters of the injection nozzle on ethylene-air continuous rotating detonation

Compared with traditional isobaric combustion,continuous rotating detonation(CRD)has been theoretically proved to be a more efficient combustion mode with higher thermal cycle efficiency.However,the realization and stable operating of liquid kerosene detonation is still a challenge.As a major component of kerosene pyrolysis products after regenerative cooling,ethylene is a transitional hydrocarbon fuel from kerosene to hydrogen and it is worth studying.In this paper,a series of 2 D numerical simulations are conducted to investigate the effects of the injection nozzle on the ethylene-air CRD.Three geometrical parameters of the nozzle are thoroughly tested including the distance between two neighboring nozzle centers,the nozzle exit width,and the slant angle of the nozzle.The results show that an ethylene-air detonation wave is realized and it propagates stably.A small distance between two neighboring nozzle centers is conducive to improving the strength of the CRD wave and leads to greater feedback pressure into the plenum.As the nozzle exit width increases,the strength of the CRD wave and the feedback pressure into the plenum both increase.The CRD wave propagation velocity is greatly improved and the feedback pressure into the plenum is significantly reduced when the slant angle of the nozzle is positive.By contrast,a sizeable reduction in velocity is found when the angle is negative.The co-rotating two-wave propagation mode is observed when the angle is 30°,and the highest CRD propagation velocity and the lowest feedback pressure are both obtained when the angle is 60°.

Numerical study on ethylene-air continuous rotating detonation in annular combustors with different widths

To investigate the impact of combustor width on continuous rotating detonation(CRD)fueled by ethylene and air,a series of 3 D simulations are conducted by changing the inner cylinder radius of an annular combustor while retaining the same outer cylinder radius.The results show that the CRD wave propagates more steadily and faster as the combustor width increases.The high-temperature zone at the backward-facing step preheats the propellants and contributes to the steady propagation of the CRD wave in 25-and 30-mm wide combustors.The highest and the lowest velocities are obtained in the30-and 15-mm wide combustors at,respectively,1880.27 and 1681.01 m/s.On the other hand,the average thrust decreases as the combustor width increases.The highest thrust is obtained in the 15-mm wide combustor while the lowest is in the 30-mm wide combustor,at 758.06 and 525.93 N,respectively.Nevertheless,the thrust is much more stable in the 25-and 30-mm wide combustors than in the 15-and 20-mm wide combustors.

Performance of rotating detonation engine with stratified injection

In this study,a numerical study based on Euler equations and coupled with detail chemistry model is used to improve the propulsion performance and stability of the rotating detonation engine.The proposed fuel injection called stratified injection functions by suppressing the isobaric combustion process occurring on the contact surface between fuel and detonation products,and thus the proportion of fuel consumed by detonation wave increases from 67%to 95%,leading to more self-pressure gain and lower entropy generation.A pre-mixed hydrogen-oxygen-nitrogen mixture is used as a reactive mixture.The computational results show that the propulsion performance and the operation stability of the engine with stratified injection are both improved,the temperature of the flow field is notably decreased,the specific impulse of the engine is improved by 16.3%,and the average temperature of the engine with stratified injection is reduced by 19.1%.

Investigation on C_(2)H_(4)-Air combustion mode in a non-premixed rotating detonation combustor

Based on the working characteristics of the rotating detonation combustor,the combustion mode of C_(2)H_(4)-Air under non-premixed injection conditions is experimentally studied in this paper.By changing the equivalence ratio,we observed the acoustic deflagration mode,fast deflagration mode,stable detonation mode,and weak detonation mode in the combustor.The velocity and pressure of the shock wave increase gradually as the equivalence ratio increases from 0.6 to 1.8.The stable detonation region appears near the stoichiometric ratio and the velocity of the detonation wave is relatively stable.When the equivalence ratio of the mixture is larger than 1.32,the stable detonation wave will suddenly extinguish,forming a weak detonation mode until the end of the combustor operation.The combustion mode of weak detonation is greatly affected by the fuel injection pressure ratio,and the release rate of energy is the main reason for the formation of deflagration mode or detonation mode.

Design and optimization of supersonic turbines for detonation combustors

Detonation-based engines offer a potential surge in efficiency for compact thermal power systems. However, these cycles require ad-hoc components adapted to the high outlet velocity from the detonation combustors. This paper presents the design methodology of turbine stages suitable for supersonic inlet conditions and provides a detailed analysis of optimized turbine geometries. A reduced-order solver examines the supersonic blade rows’ functional design space, quantifies the turbine’s non-isentropic performance, and budgets the turbine loss for different optimized leading-edge designs and chord to pitch ratios. The shock-wave interactions were identified as the predominant contributor to turbine losses, and optimal pitch-chord ratios were determined for various inlet Mach numbers. Finally, with this tool, the specific-power output for a wide range of design configurations was computed;and the metal angle that ensures flow starting and maximizes power extraction was calculated. The detailed numerical study describes the flow interactions in a supersonic turbine and offers new correlations to guide the design of future supersonic turbines.