Propulsive Performance and Heating Environment of Rotating Detonation Engine with Various Nozzles

Geometric throats are commonly applied to rocket combustors to increase pressure and specific impulse. This paper presents the results from thrust measurements of an ethylene/gas-oxygen rotating detonation engine with various throat geometries in a vacuum chamber to simulate varied backpressure conditions in a range of 1.1–104 kPa. For the throatless case, the detonation channel area was regarded to be equivalent the throat area, and three throat-contraction ratios were tested: 1, 2.5, and 8. Results revealed that combustor pressure was approximately proportional to equivalent throat mass flux for all test cases. Specific impulse was measured for a wide range of pressure ratios, defined as the ratio of the combustor pressure to the backpressure in the vacuum chamber. The rotating detonation engine could achieve almost the same level of optimum specific impulse for each backpressure, whether or not flow was squeezed by a geometric throat. In addition, heat-flux measurements using heat-resistant material are summarized. Temporally and spatially averaged heat flux in the engine were roughly proportional to channel mass flux. Heat-resistant material wall compatibility with two injector shapes of doublet and triplet injection is also discussed

AJK2011-06027 INTERNAL FLOW AND AXIAL THRUST BALANCING OF A ROCKET PUMP

ABSTRACT Internal flow of a cryogenic rocket turbopump is rather complicated compared to ordinary pumps. In order to design and predict characteristics of the axial thrust balancing system, analyses of the internal flow system is essential. In the present study, the calculation method for analyzing the internal flow system taking into account effects of boundary layer conditions and angular momentum change in chambers is applied. The characteristic of an axial thrust balancing system, which is comprised of a balance piston and grooves on the stationary wall, was evaluated. Calculated results showed that the system has a wide self-balancing range and is suitable for rocket turbopumps