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.

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.

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.

Experimental Research on the Propagation Process of Continuous Rotating Detonation Wave

In order to study the propagation mechanism of continuous rotating detonation wave,the H2/air continuous rotating detonation engine ignited by tangentially installed H2/O2pre-detonation tube is studied experimentally using a tilt slot injector structure.The experimental results show that the stable rotating detonation wave can be gained successfully with the equivalent ratio of 0.93.The propagation frequency and velocity of rotating detonation wave range from 5200 to 5500 Hz and from 1518.5 to 1606.1 m/s,respectively.Three propagation modes,such as rotation,reversal and bifurcation,of detonation wave are verified through the analysis of propagation mechanism of rotating detonation wave.

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.

Effects of Airflow Field on Droplets Diameter inside the Corrugated Packing of a Rotating Packed Bed

Rotating packing bed(RPB) has a better mixing performance than traditional mixers and shows potential application in the petroleum industry. However, acquisition of information about the mixing process directly through experiments is difficult because of the compact structure and complex multiphase flow pattern in RPB. To study the mixing characteristic, Fluent, the computational fluid dynamics(CFD) software, was used to explore the effect of airflow field on droplet diameter. For conducting calculations, the gas-liquid two-phase flow inside the packing was simulated with the RNG k-ε turbulence model and the Lagrange Discrete Phase Model(DPM), respectively. The numerical calculation results showed that coalescence and breakup of droplets can take place in the gas phase flow inside the packing and can be strengthened with increased rotating speed, thereby leading to the enlargement of the average diameter.

Measurements of the effective mass transfer areas for the gas–liquid rotating packed bed

Rotating packed bed(RPB) is one of the most effective gas–liquid mass transfer enhancement reactors, its effective specific mass transfer area(ae) is critical to understand the mass transfer process. By using the NaOH–CO_(2) chemical absorption method, the aevalues of three RPB reactors with different rotor sizes were measured under different operation conditions. The results showed that the high gravity factor and liquid flow rate were major affecting factors, while the gas flow rate exhibited minor influence.The radius of packing is the dominant equipment factor to affect aevalue. The results indicated that the contact area depends on the dispersion of the liquid phase, thus the centrifugal force of rotating packed bed greatly influenced the aevalue. Moreover, the measured ae/ap(effective specific mass transfer area/specific surface area of packing) values were fitted with dimensionless correlation formulas. The unified correlation formula with dimensionless bed size parameter can well predict the experimental data and the prediction errors were within 15%.

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°.

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%.

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.

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.

乙烯对煤粉-氧气爆轰波起爆特性影响机制的实验研究

为实现煤粉连续旋转爆轰发动机的可靠点火,开展乙烯对煤粉-氧气起爆特性的影响机制研究。在初始压力p 0=100 kPa下,采用高能电点火对有无0.5当量比乙烯氛围下的煤粉-氧气混合物开展直接起爆实验研究。点火能量通过测定在空气中高能电火花产生的爆炸波压强进行计算。计算后发现:采用6.3 J的有效点火能量,煤粉-氧气在不含乙烯的氛围下无法起爆;在此能量下,煤粉-氧气在0.5当量比的乙烯氛围条件下可实现直接起爆;将能量降低为3.6 J,使其低于乙烯-氧气(0.5当量比)混合物的临界起爆能量,虽然乙烯-氧气无法直接起爆,但是在加入煤粉后却可以形成稳定的自持爆轰波。研究结果表明:若要实现煤粉-氧气的直接起爆,则需要添加一定量的助爆气体(如乙烯);煤粉的加入还可以拓宽乙烯-氧气混合物的起爆极限。所得结果可以为煤粉连续旋转爆轰发动机的点火起爆提供理论依据并提供技术支撑。

不同物理性质无烟煤粉在乙烯/氧气氛围下爆轰波传播特性实验研究

粉末连续旋转爆轰发动机不仅具有爆轰循环热效率高的优势,还兼具粉末燃料体积热值高、流量可调等优点,然而发动机的工作特性会受到煤粉的物理性质影响。为了更好地研究不同物理性质煤粉对于爆轰波传播特性的影响,搭建一套定容燃烧弹,结合高能点火系统,在初始压力p 0=100 kPa下,研究多孔状5μm、多孔状40μm及片状5μm共3种无烟煤粉在不同当量比(0.7、1.0、1.3、1.5)下的爆轰波传播特性。研究结果表明:多孔状5μm无烟煤随着当量比的增加,爆轰波速度及压力持续增加,当量比为1.5时具有最大爆轰波传播速度及压力;多孔状40μm煤粉在0.7~1.3当量比下随当量比的增大,爆轰波速度持续增加,而后在当量比为1.5时由于过量的煤粉导致速度开始降低,但爆轰压力随着当量比的增加而增加;5μm多孔状煤粉爆轰波速度在相同当量比下优于40μm煤粉;片状5μm煤粉爆轰特性最差,在高当量比时会抑制爆轰。

旋转爆震环境下涡轮流场及气动激励的演变规律研究

涡轮式旋转爆震发动机有望给航空发动机性能带来变革性提升,但旋转爆震燃烧室的出口流场会对下游涡轮的运行产生显著影响。针对旋转爆震环境下涡轮的工作特性问题,构建了运动激波模型,并基于模型重构了涡轮的非定常入口条件,对该极端工况下的涡轮开展数值模拟研究,分析了其内部流场及气动激励的演变规律与特征。结果表明,涡轮处在强非线性的来流扰动之下,运动激波与涡轮相互作用产生复杂的波系结构,涡轮上下游的波系结构相似,但是涡轮内激波的演化随运动激波模态的不同而有所区别;爆震环境下动叶气动激励的主要激励源是通道内的波系结构,叶表气动激励和压力脉动程度均增大,但是叶片载荷显著下降。

基于弯型预爆管的煤油燃料旋转爆轰发动机起爆实验研究

为了研究采用弯型预爆管的预爆轰式连续旋转爆轰发动机点火起爆过程和旋转爆轰波的传播特性,设计了H 2/O 2弯型预爆轰管的预爆轰点火装置,进行了预爆轰点火实验,并研究了应用该预爆轰管的煤油/富氧空气旋转爆轰发动机的起爆特性。借助高频动态压力传感器和高速摄影,分别记录了实验过程中的压力信号与流场动态变化过程,分析了旋转爆轰波的起爆过程以及传播特性。实验结果表明:初始爆轰波在到达燃烧室入口后迅速膨胀解耦,形成两个沿相反方向传播的压力波,并且压力峰值迅速衰减;成功起爆后,爆轰波在燃烧室内以双波对撞模态自持传播,每一周期内双波发生对撞的位置不断变化;当煤油质量流量增加时,燃烧室内形成稳定旋转爆轰的时间间隔增加;在稳定工作范围内,提高当量比可以增加爆轰波的平均传播速度。该实验验证了将该弯型预爆管应用于煤油/富氧空气旋转爆轰发动机点火的可行性,进一步揭示了煤油/富氧空气旋转爆轰发动机的起爆过程。

不同燃烧室结构下的碳/空气两相旋转爆轰发动机数值研究

气固两相旋转爆轰发动机的研究有望提高固体冲压发动机的推进性能。由于实验的局限性,燃烧室内的颗粒分布和流场结构等在很大程度都是未知的。本文以常温条件的碳/空气作为推进剂,对不同当量比下的环形和空心燃烧室进行了三维数值模拟研究。气相化学反应模型采用层流有限速率模型,碳燃烧采用多表面反应模型,颗粒直径为1μm。结果表明:空心燃烧室内未完全燃烧的颗粒数量增加,接触面发生褶皱且波后无低温条带;在环形燃烧室中,爆轰波与燃烧室壁面的相互碰撞产生新的爆轰波,而空心燃烧室的新爆轰波是由燃烧室下游激波对撞后形成的高压区产生的。相比于环形燃烧室,空心燃烧室内爆轰波的压力偏低,颗粒的燃烧效率降低,相同燃料与空气流量条件下发动机的推力下降且更加不稳定。