Improving the Stability and Operability of a Small-Scale Rotating Detonation Engine

Abstract

A small scale RDE was designed with a channel diameter of 28 mm and channel gap of 2 mm and operated on nitrous oxide (N_2 O) and ethylene (C_2 H_4) as the oxidizer and fuel respectively. Changes to the original Jets in Crossflow (JIC) injection scheme and spark plug ignition method were implemented to counteract previously observed wave instabilities. Successful detonation was observed over a range of mass flows (0.035-0.068 kg/s) and equivalence ratios (phi = 0.6-1.4) and a stable single wave mode with frequency up to 16.8 kHz was observed for the first time. Injection pressure ratios and fill height were driving parameters in the ignition and operability characteristics observed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 04, 2021
Accession Number
AD1146500

Entities

People

  • Nathan T. Fiorino

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Acoustic Waves
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Combustion
  • Flow Visualization
  • Frequency
  • Geometry
  • Hypervelocity Flow
  • Ideal Gas Law
  • Ignition
  • Mass Flow
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Shock Waves
  • Spark Plugs
  • Thermodynamic Cycles
  • Thermodynamics
  • Wave Propagation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Rocket Propulsion.