A Joint Experimental/Computational Study of Non-Idealities in Practical Rotating Detonation Engines. Final Project Report, 10/2015 - 09/2020
- Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States). Dept. of Aerospace Engineering
The overall goal of this work is to understand non-ideal effects in practical rotating detonation engines (RDEs) that impede the realization of theoretical detonation cycle efficiencies. The main limitations in RDE operability and performance are associated with practical design considerations, where non-idealities, such as incomplete mixing, fuel leakage, secondary deflagration, instabilities and geometry-dependent effects, reduce the effectiveness of the detonation-based compression cycle. The goal of this work is to take a fundamental point of view, and use detailed experiments and simulations to understand non-ideal effects, their contribution to loss in pressure gain, and RDE operability limitations. Current research is mainly focused on design and overall operability of RDEs. Our approach is instead to look at the physics of basic processes occurring in RDEs. In particular, we consider processes associated with non-idealities and we use a combination of laser and non-laser diagnostics and large eddy simulation/direct numerical simulation computations to investigate these underlying phenomena. By advancing the fundamental science of detonation wave propagation in RDE flowfields, and subject to non-ideal conditions, will enable design to progress more rapidly. This work is a collaborative work involving experiments, simulations and external domain experts to understand the physics behind RDEs and non-idealities. Through collaboration between experimentalists and modelers, we have developed targeted experiments to investigate fundamental aspects of the operation of an RDE. Furthermore, we have developed advanced combustion models that account for non-ideal effects in the operation of an RDE and are able to capture the complexities of realistic RDE configurations. We conduct detailed physical and computational experiments to investigate the flame structure ahead and behind detonation fronts in the presence of non-uniform or incomplete mixing, leakage and secondary combustion. We use optical and laser diagnostics to identify the structure of the detonation wave. We consider different working parameters, such injection scheme, geometry, flow rates and equivalence ratios. We brought in DNS/LES capabilities to RDE design by specifically incorporating detailed kinetics and pressure-sensitive combustion physics, thus improving upon current practice based on an Euler equations description that do not take into account viscous effects, while the combustion process is introduced using an induction time based global ignition model. These current models lack the capability of capturing non-ideal mixing and fuel stratification effects — limitations that models and analysis developed in this work have been reduced. Furthermore, the significant changes in pressure within the domain due to the detonation requires combustion models with time-varying pressure effects. In this regard, using DNS with detailed chemistry, and developing LES-based combustion models for complex geometries with detonation wave has enable to understand some of the underlying phenomena controlling the operation of these devices. The main objectives developed by the project are the following ones: Objective 1. Develop canonical and operational RDE configurations, as well as imaging-based diagnostics for understanding fuel stratification, leakage, deflagration and detonation structure under non-ideal conditions in RDEs. Objective 2. Develop detailed computational tools for studying detonation wave propagation processes in RDEs. Objective 3. Develop a comprehensive picture of the fundamental physics governing non-idealities and how they impact RDE performance and operability from both experiments and simulations.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FE0025315
- OSTI ID:
- 1601159
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-UMICH-FE25315
- Resource Relation:
- Related Information: Prakash, S., Fievet, R., Raman, V., Burr, J., and Yu, K. H., ”Analysis of the Detonation Wave Structure in a Linearized Rotating Detonation Engine”, AIAA Journal Special Issue on Continuous Detonation and its Applications, October 2019. Takuma Sato and Venkat Raman, “Dynamics of rotating detonation engines with a pintle-type injector ”, ISABE-2019, Canberra, Australia, Sept. 2019. Chacon, F. and Gamba, M., “OH PLIF Visualization of an Optically Accessible Rotating Detonation Combustor,” AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum 2019. Feleo, A., Chacon, F. and Gamba, M., “Effects of Heat Release Distribution on Detonation Properties in a H2/Air Rotating Detonation Combustor from OH* Chemiluminesence,” AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum 2019. Chacon, F., Feleo, A., and Gamba, M., “Effect of Parasitic and Commensal Combustion on Rotating Detonation Combustor Properties,” 27th ICDERS, Beijing, China, July 2019. Prakash, S. and Raman, V., “Detonation Propagation through Inhomogeneous Fuel-air Mixtures,” 27th ICDERS, Beijing, China, July 2019. Feleo, A., Chacon, F. and Gamba, M., “Evaluation of OH Emission in an Optical Accessible Continuous Wave Rotating Detonation Engine,” AIAA Scitech 2019. Chacon, F. and Gamba, M., “Study of Parasitic Combustion in an Optically Accessible Continuous Wave Rotating Detonation Engine,” AIAA Scitech 2019. Prakash, S., Fievet, R., and Raman, V., “The Effect of Fuel Stratification on the Detonation Wave Structure,” AIAA Scitech 2019, San Diego, CA, USA, January 2019. Prakash, S., Fievet, R., Raman, V., Burr, J., and Yu, K. H., “Characterization of the Detonation Wave Structure in a Linearized RDE Combustor Channel,” 71st APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, Atlanta, GA, USA, November 2018. Chacon, F. and Gamba, M., “Development of an optically accessible continuous wave Rotating Detonation Engine,” 2018 AIAA Propulsion and Energy Conference, 2018. Supraj Prakash, Romain Fi ́evet, Venkat Raman, Jason Burr, and Kenneth H. Yu, “Numerical Study of the Detonation Wave Structure in a Linear Model Detonation Engine”, 2018 AIAA Propulsion and Energy Conference, Paper No. AIAA 2018-4966.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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