Thrust Measurement of a Multicycle Partially Filled Pulse Detonation Rocket Engine

Abstract

In the present research, we experimentally verified the partial-fill effect in a multicycle pulse detonation rocket engine. The intermittent thrust of a pulse detonation rocket engine was measured by using a spring-damper mechanism that smoothed this intermittent thrust in the time direction. The intermittent mass flow rates were assessed by gas cylinder pressure or mass difference measurement. The maximum specific impulse was 305 ± 9 s at an ethylene and oxygen propellant fill fraction of 0.130 ± 0.004. When the fill fraction was greater than 0.130, the specific impulse was increased as the partial-fill fraction was decreased. When the fill fraction was less than 0.130, the specific impulse was sharply decreased as the partial-fill fraction was decreased. This decrease was due to diffusion between propellant and purge gases and the short length of the transition from deflagration to detonation. The multicycle pulse detonation rocket engine had a partial-fill effect that may have been mainly due to the suctioned air and was consistent with the single-cycle partial-fill model of Endo et al. [Endo, T., Yatsufusa, T., Taki, S., Matsuo, A., Inaba, K., and Kasahara, J., Homogeneous-Dilution Model of Partially-Fueled Simplified Pulse Detonation Engines, Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 235, 2007, pp. 1033-1041.].