A NUMERICAL STUDY OF DETONATION AND PLUME DYNAMICS IN A PULSED DETONATION ENGINE

by RAGHUPATHY, ARUN PRAKASH

The Pulse Detonation Engine (PDE) is considered to be the propulsion system of future air vehicles. The objective of the present study is to understand the variation in the external flow field of a PDE during take-off and cruise conditions. To do this, the underlying concept of a PDE, namely, detonation is simulated using finite-rate chemistry. Performance of four chemical mechanisms in predicting detonation quantities is evaluated. The global mechanisms predict the detonation quantities with the least error, and are used for simulating detonation in a PDE. Comparative analysis of the plume dynamics for different equivalence ratios reveals a similar trend in the temperature distribution for both mixtures, but not in the pressure distribution. A sub-atmospheric zone is identified, which is largely responsible for the blowdown process. The analysis of the external flow field provides guidelines for the optimum placement of the turbine in the case of a Hybrid PDE.