Project Overview

Rotating detonation engines have been an interest of combustion and propulsion researchers for decades. This project aims to support research done at Nagoya university into an air-breathing rotating detonation engine.

The current project focuses on examining how changes in injector geometry, specifically L/D ratio and pressure drops across the injector effect engine performance. Pressure across and around the chamber is taken as a premixed ethylene/oxygen mixture is combusted. The mixture ratio is also varied between experiments to examine the relation of injector geometry to the mixture of propellants.

Design priorities for this project focused on minimizing leak paths while still reusing existing components and creating a modular setup for the injector and chamber design. These priorities lend themselves to easily repeatable and varied experiments with the intention of the entire test regime being accomplished within a year.

I am currently writing a paper on the design of this RDE and the setup of the experiment which will be here once complete.

Key Contributions

• Designed the experimental setup performing governing first order calculations and sizing critical components

  • Due to safety requirements the premixed manifold pressure must be kept below 3 bar

  • 5mm diameter annular combustor with a slit injector as narrow as 0.5mm diameter

• Modeled the rotating detonation chamber and supporting equipment, performing FEAs where necessary

  • Primary FEAs concerning safety if a detonation was to travel up into the manifold or into the dump tank

• Contributed to experiment design and testing procedure to ensure that lab time is used efficiently since the experiment will be ran in a shared space

• Continuing to design with new injectors as well as assist testing, and data analysis throughout the rest of this year

Project Duration: June 2022 - Present