Accession Number:

ADA554603

Title:

Rotating Detonation Engine Operation (Preprint)

Descriptive Note:

Conference paper preprint

Corporate Author:

AIR FORCE RESEARCH LAB WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH PROPULSION DIRECTORATE/TURBINE ENGINE DIVISION

Personal Author(s):

• Suchocki, James A.
• Yu, Sheng-Tao J.
• Hoke, John L.
• Naples, Andrew G.
• Schauer, Frederick R.
• Russo, Rachel

Report Date:

2012-01-01

Pagination or Media Count:

12.0

Abstract:

A Rotating Detonation Engine engineered and manufactured by Pratt and Whitney Seattle Aerosciences Center was loaned to the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for further testing and development. The engine was originally designed for ethylene and oxygen, but was altered in order to use hydrogen and air. The engine was tested at numerous flow rates and equivalence ratios with hydrogen-air in order to obtain a matrix of the operating space. Although a considerable portion of the test matrix contained successful detonations, all of the detonations that occurred for the tested configuration were in the fuel rich operating regime. In the pursuit of greater thrust output and a wider range of operability, the air into the engine was slightly enriched with additional oxygen. The addition of extra oxygen not only increased the range of thrust output and operability, it also allowed the engine to detonate at high enough air mass flows that two detonation waves were established in the engine. The detonation wave activity during the approach and through the transition from one detonation wave to two detonation waves was analyzed in order to gain a deeper understanding of the transition phenomenon.

Descriptors:

• *DETONATION WAVES
• *ENGINES
• AIR
• HYDROGEN
• MASS FLOW
• SYMPOSIA

Subject Categories:

• Reciprocating and Rotating Engines

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE