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.

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.