Multi-wave effects on stability and performance in rotating detonation combustors

Abstract

Recently, with the development of detonation-based propulsion systems, scholars have begun to study how to perform mode control on the rotating detonation combustor (RDC). It is important to figure out the influence of operation mode transition on the RDC. Actually, the essential of different modes is the different multi-wave structures. In this study, two-dimensional numerical simulations of the RDC are conducted to study the multi-wave effect on the stability and performance of the RDC. A uniform inlet condition is adopted in simulations to eliminate the impact of discrepancy mass flow rates, and a mode-locked ignition method is used to induce RDC flow fields with different detonation wave numbers. It is found that the flow field stability and outlet uniformity are improved with increasing detonation counts, and the energy proportion in the flow field is little affected by the multi-wave structure. However, the increase in detonation number will cause a reduction of the mass-averaged total pressure ratio at the exit. Underlying relationship between the unsteady flow field and the total pressure gain is discussed. The total pressure gain is directly linked with the non-uniformity of the circumferential flow field. Then, by utilizing particle trace, the envelope of the thermodynamic cycle is illustrated and the pseudo-thermal efficiency of each case is given. The result implies that the wave number has hardly effect on the thermal efficiency of the combustion chamber. By summarizing the perimeter, axial length, and wave number in the combustor, parameter ξ is carried out and its effects on the uniformity and total pressure ratio in the RDC are concluded.

BYCFoam: An Improved Solver for Rotating Detonation Engines Based on OpenFOAM

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“…BYCFoam and its early version BYRFoam have been widely used in the RDC simulations of our group [25][26][27][28]53]. In this part, we performed a two-dimensional test to assess the computational efficiency improved by the AMR and DLB algorithms.…”

Effects of Injector Configuration on the Detonation Characteristics and Propulsion Performance of Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE)

“…These results suggest that the detonation wave propagation in case 4 with RHFI is more stable when compared to case 3 with SFI. Additionally, these consequences can be further understood through the study of Sheng et al [44]. In their study, they concluded the following.…”

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