Detonation initiation studies and performance results for pulsed detonation engine applications

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.