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Recent Developments in the Research on Pressure-Gain Combustion Devices

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Book cover Innovations in Sustainable Energy and Cleaner Environment

Part of the book series: Green Energy and Technology ((GREEN))

Abstract

Unlike conventional engines based on the Brayton cycle, detonation-based combustion devices can result in a net pressure gain, in addition to the temperature increase during the combustion process. Pulse detonation engines (PDEs) have been studied for more than seventy years. A brief overview of the fundamentals behind this engine concept is presented first, followed by the progress made up to a flight test of an aircraft using this engine. There is the potential to increase further the substantial performance gains made by the pulsed detonation engine (PDE) concept by moving from “pulsed” or “intermittent” detonations to a more “continuous” mode of operation with detonations. The rotating detonation engine (RDE) is an example of this approach. In this paper, an attempt is made to gather the key information presented in the previous publications in the open literature and to assess the potential for “rotating detonation-wave engines” (RDEs). Recent research is used to highlight the operation and performance of a generic rotating detonation-wave engine. The flow field within the engine is shown to be fairly complicated. However, it follows the “steady-state” thermal detonation cycle quite closely, unlike the PDE. Parametric studies varying the pressure conditions both upstream at the inlet plane and downstream through the back pressure reveal that the overall specific impulse is just a function of the ratio of the inlet stagnation pressure to the chamber back pressure for the generic device considered here. The importance of the inlet design in achieving reliable operation and performance is also highlighted. Finally, a brief overview of the global research efforts on this concept is presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lorton, Virginia, USA

    Kazhikathra Kailasanath

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  1. Kazhikathra Kailasanath
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Correspondence to Kazhikathra Kailasanath .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Ashwani K. Gupta

  2. Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Ashoke De

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Suresh K. Aggarwal

  4. Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Abhijit Kushari

  5. Analytic & Computational Research, Inc. (ACRi), The CFD Innovators, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Akshai Runchal

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Kailasanath, K. (2020). Recent Developments in the Research on Pressure-Gain Combustion Devices. In: Gupta, A., De, A., Aggarwal, S., Kushari, A., Runchal, A. (eds) Innovations in Sustainable Energy and Cleaner Environment. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9012-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9012-8_1

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