39th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit · 2001 · 189 citations · 5 references
EngineeringAerospace EngineeringMechanical EngineeringCombustionComputational Fluid DynamicsInternal Combustion EnginesCombustion DiagnosticsCombustion FundamentalsCombustion In EnginesEngine DesignEngine ModelingEngine TestingDetonationDetonation InitiationDetonation SimulationDetonation TransitionPerformance PredictionPerformance Prediction ModelsPulse DetonationPulse Detonation Engines
PDEs promise high thrust, low weight, low cost, scalability, and wide operating range, yet technological hurdles remain; the AFRL/PRTS program is advancing these engines with hydrogen/air experiments. The study aims to develop an air‑breathing PDE using practical kerosene fuel through computational and experimental work at AFRL/PRTS. The program investigates detonation initiation, propagation, valving, timing, diagnostics, heat transfer, noise, multi‑tube effects, transition modeling, and performance, and tests an innovative four‑detonation‑tube engine while developing hydrogen/air initiation techniques without oxygen enrichment. Preliminary hydrogen/air experiments demonstrate proof of concept and validate the models, providing initial performance results for the AFRL/PRTS PDE program.
Abstract : An in-house computational and experimental program to investigate and develop an air breathing pulse detonation engine (PDE) that uses a practical fuel (kerosene based, fleet-wide use, JP type) is currently underway at the Combustion Sciences Branch of the Turbine Engine Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/PRTS). PDE's have the potential of high thrust, low weight, low cost, high scalability, and wide operating range, but several technological hurdles must be overcome before a practical engine can be designed. This research effort involves investigating such critical issues as: detonation initiation and propagation; valving, timing and control; instrumentation and diagnostics; purging, heat transfer, and repetition rate; noise and multi-tube effects; detonation and deflagration to detonation transition modeling; and performance prediction and analysis. An innovative, four-detonation-tube engine design is currently in test and evaluation. Preliminary data are obtained with premixed hydrogen/air as the fuel/oxidizer to demonstrate proof of concept and verify models. Techniques for initiating detonations in hydrogen/air mixtures are developed without the use of oxygen enriched air. An overview of the AFRL/PRTS PDE development research program and hydrogen/air results are presented.
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