Numerical study on the effect of carbon particles on flow field characteristics of rotating detonation engine

Abstract

Rotating detonation engines have high thermal efficiency and thus have been extensively studied. Using solid particles as fuel can reduce costs, and experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of gas-solid two-phase rotating detonation. However, numerical simulation research is required that examines the flow field characteristics of a rotating detonation engine. In order to explore the role of carbon particle fuel in a gas-solid two-phase rotating detonation wave, the weighted essentially non-oscillating scheme and third-order total variation diminishing Runge-Kutta scheme are used to solve the gas-solid unsteady Eulerian–Eulerian equations. Finite rate chemical and surface reaction models are used to simulate the combustion of gaseous substances and carbon particles. The influence of the proportion of carbon particles in the fuel and the diameter of the carbon particles on the rotating detonation flow field characteristics is analyzed. The results indicate that when the size of carbon particles is in the micrometer scale or below, the two-phase rotating detonation waves exhibit double-front or single-front detonation structures, respectively. Adding carbon particles to the fuel enables the rotating detonation engine to achieve a total pressure gain.