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Application of Detonation Waves to Rocket Engine Chamber

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Detonation Control for Propulsion

Part of the book series: Shock Wave and High Pressure Phenomena ((SHOCKWAVE))

Abstract

We present the results of experiments performed with a rotating detonation engine using continuous detonation in an annular combustor to create thrust. Detonation waves propagate in a supersonic and very small region, allowing shortening of the combustor. The combustor of RDE causes high-pressure loss when the propellant is injected, and cooling is necessary due to high heat flux. However, the combustion efficiency of detonation combustion in an annular combustor is the most important, but have not been fully elucidated. In addition, the influence of the injector shape and direct cooling of a rotating detonation combustor require clarification. This paper reports the measurement results of combustor stagnation pressure and thrust, the influence of injector shape on c * efficiency, and the estimate of heat flux. The c * efficiency was 88–100% when we used the convergent or convergent-divergent nozzle and the equivalence ratio was less than 1.0. The shape of the injector influenced wave propagation mode, but the mode did not change the c * efficiency. We estimated time-spatial average heat flux from the terminal temperature, and the heat flux was 8.1 ± 1.8 MW/m2 in no water injection condition. The rocket RDE sled test was successfully performed. The total mass of the rocket RDE system was 58.3 kg, total time averaged thrust was 201 N, the time averaged mass flow rate was 143 g/s, and the specific impulse was 144 s.

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Abbreviations

A inj :

total injector area

A t :

throat area

c * :

characteristic velocity

ER :

equivalence ratio

F t :

thrust

g :

gravitational acceleration

I sp :

specific impulse

M :

Mach number

\( \dot{m} \) :

mass flow rate

P :

pressure

P c :

combustor stagnation pressure

R :

gas constant

T :

temperature

T c :

adiabatic flame temperature

γ:

ratio of specific heat

\( {\eta}_{{\mathrm{c}}^{\ast }} \) :

c * efficiency

i:

ideal

m:

measured

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Acknowledgements

The present RDE development was subsidized by a “Study on Innovative Detonation Propulsion Mechanism,” Research-and-Development Grant Program (Engineering) from the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The fundamental device development was subsidized by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), No. 24246137.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

    Jiro Kasahara, Yuichi Kato, Kazuaki Ishihara, Keisuke Goto & Ken Matsuoka

  2. Keio University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

    Akiko Matsuo

  3. Japan Space Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan

    Ikkoh Funaki

  4. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Komaki, Aichi, Japan

    Hideki Moriai

  5. Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan

    Daisuke Nakata, Kazuyuki Higashino & Nobuhiro Tanatsugu

Authors
  1. Jiro Kasahara
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  2. Yuichi Kato
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  3. Kazuaki Ishihara
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  4. Keisuke Goto
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  5. Ken Matsuoka
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  6. Akiko Matsuo
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  7. Ikkoh Funaki
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  8. Hideki Moriai
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  9. Daisuke Nakata
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  10. Kazuyuki Higashino
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  11. Nobuhiro Tanatsugu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiro Kasahara .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Temasek Laboratories, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Jiun-Ming Li

  2. Mechanical Engineering Department, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Chiang Juay Teo

  3. Temasek Laboratories, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Boo Cheong Khoo

  4. Center for Combustion and Propulsion, CAPT & SKLTCS, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Jian-Ping Wang

  5. State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China

    Cheng Wang

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Kasahara, J. et al. (2018). Application of Detonation Waves to Rocket Engine Chamber. In: Li, JM., Teo, C., Khoo, B., Wang, JP., Wang, C. (eds) Detonation Control for Propulsion. Shock Wave and High Pressure Phenomena. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68906-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68906-7_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-68905-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-68906-7

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