Progress of continuously rotating detonation engines

Continuously rotating detonation engine (CRDE) is a focus for concern in the field of aerospace propulsion. It has several advantages, including one-initiation, high thermal efficiency and simple structure. Due to these characteristics, it is expected to bring revolutionary advance-ments to aviation and aerospace propulsion systems and now has drawn much attention throughout the world. In this paper, an overview of the development of CRDE is given from several aspects:basic concepts, applications, experimental studies, numerical simulations, and so on. Representative results and outstanding contributions are summarized and the unresolved issues for further engi-neering applications of CRDE are provided.     

Operation of a Rotary-valved Pulse Detonation Rocket Engine Utilizing Liquid-kerosene and Oxygen

The pulse detonation rocket engine (PDRE) requires periodic supply of oxidizer, fuel and purge gas. A rotary-valve assembly is fabricated to control the periodic supply in this research. Oxygen and liquid aviation kerosene are used as oxidizer and fuel respectively. An ordinary automobile spark plug, with ignition energy as low as 50 mJ, is used to initiate combustion. Steady operation of the PDRE is achieved with operating frequency ranging from 1 Hz to 10 Hz. Experimentally measured pressure is lower than theoretical value by 13% at 1 Hz and 37% at 10 Hz, and there also exists a velocity deficit at different operating frequencies. Both of these two phenomena are believed mainly due to droplet size which depends on atomization and vaporiza-tion of liquid fuel.     

Visualization Experiments of a Specific Fuel Flow Through Quartz-glass Tubes Under both Sub- and Supercritical Conditions

The present work is a visualization study of a typical kerosene (RP-3) flowing through vertical and horizontal quartz-glass tubes under both suband supercritical conditions by a high speed camera. The experiments are accomplished at temperatures of 300-730 K under pressures from 0.107-5 MPa. Six distinctive two-phase flow patterns are observed in upward flow and the critical point of RP-3 is identified as critical pressure pc=2.33 MPa and critical temperature Tc=645.04 K and it is found that when the fluid pressure exceeds 2.33 MPa the flow can be considered as a single phase flow. The critical opalescence phenomenon of RP-3 is observed when the temperature is between 643.16 K and 648.61 K and the pressure is between 2.308 MPa and 2.366 MPa. The region filled by the critical opalescence in the upward flow is clearly larger than that in the downward flow due to the interaction between the buoyancy force and fluid inertia. Morecover, obvious layered flow phenomenon is observed in horizontal flow under supercritical pressures due to the differences of gravity and density.     

Accelerated initiation of oblique detonation induced by disturbance in detonative zone

In the real flow for high altitude, the initiation mechanism of the oblique detonation involves the coupling of complex wave structures and combustion waves, which may result in the phenomenon of extinction. The approach of stable initiation is one of the key factors that restricting the oblique detonation engine from theory to practice. The wave structure, initiation characteristics and characteristic parameters of the flow field are analyzed, the two-dimensional Euler equation considering the ...     

An intelligent control method for a large multi-parameter environmental simulation cabin

The structure and characteristics of a large multi-parameter environmental simulation cabin are introduced.Due to the diffculties of control methods and the easily damaged characteristics,control systems for the large multi-parameter environmental simulation cabin are diffcult to be controlled quickly and accurately with a classical PID algorithm.Considering the dynamic state characteristics of the environmental simulation test chamber,a lumped parameter model of the control system is established to accurately control the multiple parameters of the environmental chamber and a fuzzy control algorithm combined with expert-PID decision is introduced into the temperature,pressure,and rotation speed control systems.Both simulations and experimental results have shown that compared with classical PID control,this fuzzy-expert control method can decrease overshoot as well as enhance the capacity of anti-dynamic disturbance with robustness.It can also resolve the contradiction between rapidity and small overshoot,and is suitable for application in a large multi-parameter environmental simulation cabin control system.     

STUDY ON GAIN-SCHEDULING PROBLEM IN FLIGHT CONTROL

Gain-scheduling has got its wide applications in modern flight control, in which control gains are scheduled with variables such as dynamic pressure and Mach number, to meet dynamic response requirements in different flight conditions. Classical gain-scheduling approaches may result in some problems, which can not guarantee global robustness and stability in transitions of different flight conditions. Gain-scheduling problem is systematically investigated from robustness point of view in the paper. Detailed procedures for gain-scheduled controller to achieve both robustness and stability performance are given and applied to a typical flight control system. For switching stability problems of different flight conditions in flight control systems, a new approach is proposed, in which different flight conditions are reduced into a parameter varying plant using interpolation firstly, and then parameter-varying controller design goes next. Though interpolation errors may exist, the robust parameter varying controller design can compensate for those uncertainties and errors, and finally achieve good performance of robustness and switching stability during transitions. Illustrative simulation at last shows satisfactory results.     

Trajectory and attitude deviations for internal store separation due to unsteady and quasi-steady test method

The deviations of trajectory and attitude angle for internal store separation are evaluated by two wind tunnel test methods. One is the Freedrop Test(FDT), which is known as unsteady and time-dependent method of scaled model. The other is the Captive Trajectory System(CTS) test,which is usually regarded as a quasi-steady and time-averaged test technology. The result shows that there is a streamwise adverse pressure gradient on the cavity resulting in a nose-up pitching moment coefficient(>0) ...     

Experimental investigations on the power extraction of a turbine driven by a pulse detonation combustor

In order to grasp the interaction mechanism between the pulse detonation combustor（PDC）and the turbine,the experimental work in this paper investigates the key factors on the power extraction of a turbocharger turbine driven by a PDC.A PDC consisting of an unvalved tube is integrated with a turbocharger turbine which has a nominal mass flow rate of 0.6 kg/s and50000 r/min.The PDC-turbine hybrid engine is operated on gasoline-air mixtures and runs for6＋min to achieve a thermal steady state,and then the engine performance is evaluated under different operating conditions.Results show that the momentum difference per unit area between the turbine inlet and outlet plays an important role in the power extraction,while the pressure peak of the detonation has little effect.The equivalence ratio of fuel and air mixture and the transition structure between PDC and turbine are also important to the power extraction of the turbine.The present work is promising as it suggests that the performance beneft of a PDC-turbine hybrid engine can be realized by increasing the momentum difference per unit area through the optimal design of transition section between the PDC and turbine.     

IR radiation characteristics of rocket exhaust plumes under varying motor operating conditions

The infrared(IR) irradiance signature from rocket motor exhaust plumes is closely related to motor type,propellant composition,burn time,rocket geometry,chamber parameters and flight conditions.In this paper,an infrared signature analysis tool(IRSAT) was developed to understand the spectral characteristics of exhaust plumes in detail.Through a finite volume technique,flow field properties were obtained through the solution of axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations with the Reynolds-averaged approach.A refined 13-species,30-reaction chemistry scheme was used for combustion effects and a k-e-Rtturbulence model for entrainment effects.Using flowfield properties as input data,the spectrum was integrated with a line of sight(LOS) method based on a single line group(SLG) model with Curtis-Godson approximation.The model correctly predicted spectral distribution in the wavelengths of 1.50–5.50 lm and had good agreement for its location with imaging spectrometer data.The IRSAT was then applied to discuss the effects of three operating conditions on IR signatures:(a) afterburning;(b) chamber pressure from ignition to cutoff;and(c) minor changes in the ratio of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene(HTPB) binder to ammonium perchlorate(AP) oxidizer in propellant.Results show that afterburning effects can increase the size and shape of radiance images with enhancement of radiation intensity up to 40%.Also,the total IR irradiance in different bands can be characterized by a non-dimensional chamber pressure trace in which the maximum discrepancy is less than 13% during ignition and engine cutoff.An increase of chamber pressure can lead to more distinct diamonds,whose distance intervals are extended,and the position of the first diamond moving backwards.In addition,an increase in HTPB/AP causes a significant jump in spectral intensity.The incremental rates of radiance intensity integrated in each band are linear with the increase of HTPB,and the growth rates of radiance intensities in some bands reach up to 50% as HTPB weight increases by 3%.     

Large-scale Vacuum Vessel Design and Finite Element Analysis

The vacuum plume effects experimental system (PES) is the first experimental system designed to study the effects of vacuum plume in China. The main equipment, a vacuum chamber of 5.5 m in diameter and 12.8 m in length, and structure design of hinged door are described. The finite element method (FEM) is adopted to analyze the static strength and stability of the PES vacuum chamber. It is demonstrated that the static strength and stability are qualified. For the 5.5 m diameter vacuum chamber door, three design schemes are put forward. After comparisons are made, the single-axis-double-pin hinged door is selected. The FEM is applied to checking its static strength as well as distortions. The results show that the door’s distortion and displacement change mainly due to the gravity of the door which leads to its sinking. The calculated displacement is less than 7.8 mm, while the actual measurement is 5 mm. The single-axis-double-pin hinged door mechanism completely satisfies the design requirements. This innovative structure can be introduced as a reference for the design of large-scale hinged doors.     

脉冲爆轰发动机预爆轰点火数值模拟

本文采用二维数值模拟对脉冲爆轰发动机点火方式中的预爆轰点火进行了分析研究。模拟了预爆轰管在主爆轰管上的两种最基本的布置方式：平行布置方式和正交布置方式。讨论了预爆轰管的布置方式和几何形状对点火的影响。结果表明：正交布置方式优于水平布置方式，因为反射激波在点火过程中起到了非常重要的作用。预爆轰管和主爆轰管的内径比是影响点火的重要参数，而长度的影响则较小。     

螺旋脉冲爆震室实验

为缩短脉冲爆震室轴向长度以及爆燃向爆震转变距离,设计加工了螺旋脉冲爆震室,采用液态汽油为燃料,空气为氧化剂,进行了一系列实验.在实验过程中,对比研究了常规直管脉冲爆震室以及螺旋脉冲爆震室的爆燃向爆震转变性能;并分析研究了螺旋脉冲爆震室多循环工作特性.结果表明:与直管脉冲爆震室相比,螺旋脉冲爆震室爆燃向爆震转变距离至少缩短了约11.2%;螺旋脉冲爆震室可以在5~20Hz频率下稳定工作;螺旋脉冲爆震室设计方案可行.      

爆震燃烧的特性研究

研究了爆震管中爆震燃烧的压力特性及爆燃到爆震转捩 (DDT)特性。在乙炔与氧气的预混气中 ,通过高频响压力传感器及自行研制的离子探针 ,测量了不同工况下爆震燃烧的压力与火焰传播速度的变化历程 ,获得了爆震波峰值压力、波后压力及 DDT距离随混气初始压力 (2×10 4 Pa～ 1× 10 5Pa)、混气当量比 (0 .3～ 1.0 )及混气浓度 (6 0 %～ 10 0 % )的变化规律。试验结果表明 :降低预混气的压力、混气当量比及浓度会使爆震波的峰值压力、波后压力不同程度的下降 ,DDT距离增大 ,其中 DDT距离对混气浓度最敏感     

U型方管中爆燃向爆震转变特性实验研究

以脉冲爆震发动机(PDE)用曲管爆震燃烧室为应用背景,对气相(乙烯/空气)燃烧波在U型方管实验器中的传播过程进行了实验研究。通过改变实验器中弯曲段进口气流入射激波强度,基于弯曲段内压力、波速的测量及高速摄影实验得到了U型方管实验器中半圆型弯段内的爆燃向爆震转变(DDT)特性。结果表明,弯曲段中DDT特性受到入射激波速度的影响:当入射激波速度小于794m/s(43.6%VCJ,VCJ为理论Chapman-Jouguet爆震波速),在弯曲段内不能形成爆震;当入射激波速度介于870~908m/s(47.8%VCJ~50.0%VCJ)之间,弯曲段内首先会产生局部爆炸,并最终形成爆震;当入射激波速度大于934m/s(51.3%VCJ),爆燃波可以直接在弯曲段入口转化为爆震波。     

脉冲爆震燃气膨胀过程及能量转换难易度评价方法

为了提高脉冲爆震燃气的能量转换效率,分析了脉冲爆震燃气在涡轮内的膨胀过程,建立了评价爆震燃气能量转换难易度计算方法,并基于脉冲爆震燃烧室与轴流涡轮匹配工作数值模型,采用涡轮效率对燃气能量转换难易度计算方法进行了验证,结果表明: ①爆震波膨胀过程,爆震燃气在涡轮静叶内会产生热壅塞现象,并往上游形成前传压缩波; ②涡轮内爆震燃气的膨胀主要分一次膨胀、过度膨胀和二次膨胀三个阶段,爆震燃气在涡轮内的焓降主要发生在一次膨胀和二次膨胀阶段,在过度膨胀阶段,燃气在涡轮内做负功; ③当量比为0.72、0.89和1.00三种计算工况的燃气能量转换难易度分别为0.396、1.000和0.803,对应的涡轮效率分别为0.473 6、0.597 2和0.570 3,验证了燃气能量转换难易度计算方法的准确性。      

预混气爆震波在不同直径管间的传播特性

在管径20mm与60mm的两管间研究了预混气爆震波的传播特性,着重测量了爆震波传递过程中的压力与速度变化,并分析了预混气压力、浓度、当量比以及连接段尺寸等参数对爆震波传播的影响与规律。研究发现:小管中没有爆震时大管中仍然可以出现爆震波,小张角的连接段对爆震波的再触发有利,再触发后的爆震波其压力、速度受到预混气压力、浓度及当量比等参数的影响。      

脉冲爆震发动机爆震室起爆研究

根据脉冲爆震发动机（PDE）的概念、工作原理,分析了爆震燃烧的特点和起爆方法,研究了可燃气体在空气中存在的爆炸极限,分析了应用爆炸极限理论引发爆震的可行性。设计了航空煤油和空气作为起爆能源的爆震室,为了提高爆震成功率,爆震室油气混合气按照爆炸极限混合。定量计算了化学恰当比的航空煤油完全燃烧放出的热量以及爆震室最终温度和压力,分析了反应混合物浓度和起爆的关系。     

环形爆震室中火焰加速数值模拟及验证

对带不同数量孔板的环形爆震室进行数值模拟,并通过试验对数值计算进行验证,来研究火焰加速现象、爆燃向爆震转变过程和不同当量比下起爆距离.数值计算采用二维轴对称非定常Navier-Stokes方程来模拟流体动力学过程.研究发现用较低的点火能量对火焰混合区的可燃气点火产生低速火焰,低速火焰向环形爆震室射流并改变方向向出口传播,火焰在孔板的阻碍作用以及火焰诱导激波和反射波的加速作用下,由层流变为湍流,湍流火焰与其诱导激波相互加强,最终引爆未燃混气;还对爆震波在孔板区的传播过程进行了分析,对不同当量比下的火焰速度和起爆距离进行了模拟研究.      

多爆震室串联热射流起爆实验研究

为消除现有脉冲爆震发动机对外部脉冲起爆装置的依赖并提高脉冲爆震燃烧室工作频率,提出了一种多个爆震室封闭串联的多管燃烧室方案,通过管间的射流传递实现爆震室内的快速短距离起爆。实验结果表明,多个爆震室间可以实现逐级射流起爆,并且可以实现快速起爆,起爆所需要的时间约为1．0～1．2ms,起爆距离约为500mm,远远小于火花塞直接点火时的结果。弱火焰射流可以通过逐级增强的方式最终在下游某个爆震单元内形成爆震波。单个爆震室内射流进入和射出的时间问隔可以达到1．2～1．5ms,大约需要8个爆震单元才可能实现爆震波的封闭串联传播：     

环形射流初始压力对激波聚焦起爆的影响分析

为了研究射流入射压力对环形激波聚焦爆震起爆的影响,以氢气和空气混合物为例,对不同射流入射压力下环形激波聚焦爆震起爆过程进行了数值模拟,结果表明,当环形射流入射强度足够大时,其形成的激波聚焦能够形成高温、高压区域,从而直接起爆爆震波;爆震管推力壁对激波具有反射加强作用,有助于爆震波的形成;环形射流入射压力存在一个临界值,低于此值时,则不能起爆爆震波.