Development and Testing of a Rotating Detonation Engine Run on Hydrogen and Air

摘要

Rotating detonation engines (RDEs) have the potential for greater efficiencies over conventional engines by utilizing pressure gain combustion. A new modular RDE (6 in diameter) was developed and successfully run on hydrogen and standard air. The RDE allows for variation of injection scheme and detonation channel widths. Tests provided the operational space of the new RDE as well as characterized detonation unsteadiness. It was found that a smaller equivalence ratio than previous was required to obtain continuous detonations. Also discovered was VCJ was reached in the RDE, but not sustained.