Abstract
Hydrogen is the most common molecule in the universe. It is an excellent fuel for thermal engines: piston, turbojet, rocket, and, going forward, in thermonuclear power plants. Hydrogen is currently used across a range of industrial applications including propulsion systems, e.g., cars and rockets. One obstacle to expanding hydrogen use, especially in the transportation sector, is its low density. This paper explores hydrogen as an addition to liquid fuel in the detonation chamber to generate thermal energy for potential use in transportation and generation of electrical energy. Experiments with liquid kerosene, hexane, and ethanol with the addition of gaseous hydrogen were conducted in a modern rotating detonation chamber. Detonation combustion delivers greater thermal efficiency and reduced NOx emission. Since detonation propagates about three orders of magnitude faster than deflagration, the injection, evaporation, and mixing with air must be almost instantaneous. Hydrogen addition helps initiate the detonation process and sustain continuous work of the chamber. The presented work proves that the addition of gaseous hydrogen to a liquid fuel–air mixture is well suited to the rotating detonation process, making combustion more effective and environmentally friendly.
Highlights
It is well established that combustion processes can take place in two different modes: Deflagration and detonation
The following results suggest that the addition of gaseous hydrogen to the liquid fuel–air mixture should produce a beneficial outcome in the form of initiating and propagation of rotating detonation in designed geometry
Similar experiments were conducted for other liquid fuels: Hexane (Figure 8) and ethanol (Figure 9) with air and hydrogen addition
Summary
It is well established that combustion processes can take place in two different modes: Deflagration and detonation. From the point of view of the experimental approach regarding the detonation process in jet propulsion systems, one of the most difficult elements is preparing the mixture: Injection, evaporation of liquid fuel, and mixing with the oxidizer. The main aim of the following research was to investigate the possibility to initiate a rotating detonation using a liquid fuel–air mixture with an addition of gaseous hydrogen and the effect of such an addition on the process itself. The chamber was equipped with doubled-fuel systems: Liquid for the main fuel and gaseous for hydrogen addition Injectors of both fuels were placed perpendicularly to the Energies 2020, 13, x were developed to create a channel of 10 mm for a pure hydrogen–air mixture as well as 50 mm for all other considered. More information acquisition system equipped with two National Instruments’ acquisition cards
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