Numerical Investigation of Rotating Detonation Engine Propulsive Performance

Abstract

A series of 3- and 2-dimensional numerical simulations of a rotating detonation engine (RDE) are carried out with a 1-step chemical reaction model to investigate the RDE's propulsive performance. First, the performance is computed by a 3-dimensional simulation. After the initial instability dies down, the specific impulse and mass flux of RDE converge to constant values. Then, some simplified 2-dimensional cases are simulated. The following propulsive performance collusions are obtained: with the injection stagnation pressure increases, the mass flux increases linearly and the specific impulse decreases a little. With combustor length larger than a special value, specific impulse and mass flux change a little. The propulsive parameters obtained from the 3-dimensional simulation case agree with simplified 2-dimensional simulation cases.