Continuous Detonation Engine and Effects of Different Types of Nozzle on Its Propulsion Performance

The rotating propagation of a continuous detonation engine (CDE) with different types of nozzles is investigated in three-dimensional numerical simulation using a one-step chemical reaction model. Flux terms are solved by the so-called monotonicity-preserving weighted essentially non-oscillatory (MPWENO) scheme. The simulated flow field agrees well with the previous experimental results. Once the initial transient effects die down, the detonation wave maintains continuous oscillatory propagation in the annular chamber as long as fuel is continuously injected. Using a numerical flow field, the propulsion per- formance of a CDE is computed for four types of nozzles, namely the constant-area nozzle, Laval nozzle, diverging nozzle and converging nozzle. The gross specific impulse of the CDE ranges 1 540-1 750 s and the mass flux per square meter ranges 313-330 kg/(m2·s) for different nozzles. Among these four types of nozzles, Laval nozzle performs the best, and these parameters are 1 800 N, 1 750 s and 313 kg/(m2.s). A nozzle can greatly improve the propulsion performance.

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.