Gyeong-Ui MO, Keon-Hyeong LEE, Su-Wan CHOI, Min-Seon JO, Jeong-Yeol CHOI

DOI Number: N/A

Conference number: HiSST-2025-145

This study experimentally investigates the operating characteristics of a disk-shaped rotating detonation rocket engine (Disk-RDRE) fueled with liquid nitrous oxide (N₂O) and propane (C₃H₈), exploiting their inherent self-pressurizing properties. Two operating conditions were examined by varying the total mass flow rate while maintaining a fixed equivalence ratio of 1.18. Combustion dynamics were captured using high-speed imaging in conjunction with FFT and STFT analyses to assess detonation wave propagation and frequency characteristics. In both cases, the engine sustained a stable single-wave detonation mode, with operating frequencies on the order of 6–7 kHz and propagation velocities
reaching approximately 80% of the theoretical Chapman–Jouguet (C–J) velocity. Visualization further confirmed that the detonation front preserved a consistent rotational direction and propagated tangentially along the combustor wall. These results experimentally validate the feasibility of stable liquid-propellant operation in a disk-shaped RDE and provide a foundation for the future development of liquid-based detonation propulsion systems.

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In Categories: 1.Events, 1.HiSST 2025, Propulsion Systems & Components
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