Injection Studies on a Small-Scale Rotating Detonation Engine with Improved Flow Control

The Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE) has gained increasing attention in recent years for its potential advantages over typical deflagration combustion. A Micro-RDE design with an outer diameter of 28mm operating on Nitrous Oxide and Ethylene was recently developed, which stretched the limits of small-scale detonation engines. The testing on this rig has shown a stable one wave mode detonation with frequencies reaching 16.8 kHz. Key parameters that influence the detonation wave mode are cell size, fill height, and wave speed, which are heavily influence d by injection schemes. Previous testing utilized a partially premixed jets in crossflow (JIC) injection scheme, while tests before that used a traditional JIC scheme. A Simplex and Counter-jet injection scheme were added to the configuration to explore other options of injecting the fuel and oxidizer. The goal of this research was to characterize the operating limits of the injection schemes and understand their effects on the detonation wave stability in a small-scale RDE