Moeno MIYASHITA, Akiko MATSUO, Eiji SHIMA, Noboru ITOUYAMA, Akira KAWASAKI, Ken MATSUOKA, Jiro KASAHARA
DOI Number: N/A
Conference number: HiSST-2025-338
A novel detonation-assisted fuel injection system was developed to achieve highly efficient supersonic combustion in scramjet engines. While previous studies employed an annular Rotating Detonation Combustor (RDC) arranged coaxially around the main fuel injector, this study introduced a simplified cylindrical RDC configuration to enhance practicality and structural feasibility. In this design, both the main fuel and detonation products were injected from the same bottom-mounted configuration into a Mach 2.4 supersonic flow, simulating flight conditions at Mach 8.0 and an altitude of 30 km. A stoichiometric premixed H₂–O₂ mixture was supplied to the cylindrical RDC, where continuous detonation propagation was sustained even when connected to the main combustor. As a result, the detonation products were discharged, effectively entraining the main fuel and promoting rapid mixing and combustion. The hydrogen jet formed a characteristic helical distribution as it interacted with the rotating detonation wave. Despite the geometric simplification, the cylindrical RDC achieved a fuel consumption rate comparable to that of the annular RDC, while reducing the required combustor length by 23.3% compared to a baseline model without detonation assistance. These results demonstrate that, even without an inner annular structure, the cylindrical RDC can maintain high combustion efficiency and offer a more compact and practical configuration for future scramjet applications.