Propulsive Performance of a Continuously Rotating Detonation Engine

摘要

Detonation waves propagating in an annular chamber are numerically studied to investigate the propulsive performance of a continuously rotating detonation-based propulsion system. Engine operating conditions are assumed for the inflow conditions of an air-breathing engine combustor. The influence of various design parameters on the propulsive performance is estimated where parametric variables include total pressure, total temperature, injection area ratio, axial chamber length and the number of detonation waves. An overall flow field in the combustion chamber is analyzed to understand the dynamics of detonation propagation and the basic engine operation. The propulsive performance of a continuously rotating detonation engine is compared with that of a single-tube pulse detonation engine. It is shown that the thrust of the rotating detonation engine converges to an approximately constant value after stabilized. The propulsive performance of the engine is strongly dependent on the injection conditions, but it is weakly dependent on the axial chamber length and the number of detonation waves. It is found that the total impulse produced by the rotating detonation engine is higher than the pulse detonation engine at given conditions.