Presented By: Aerospace Engineering
Chair's Distinguished Lecture: A Journey into Pressure Gain Combustion in Rotating Detonation Engines
Mirko Gamba
Associate Professor
Aerospace Engineering
University of Michigan
Although the concept of using a rotating detonation wave in an enclosed (annular) chamber as a means of effective combustion dates back to the 1960’s, its use in rotating detonation engines (RDEs) has gained much attention only in recent years because of the thermodynamic benefits it offers for propulsion and power generation applications. The benefit offered by an RDE over conventional constant pressure combustion of traditional systems arises from the fact that, at least ideally, chemical energy release occurs at nearly constant volume across a detonation wave, rather than in a deflagrating region. Unlike a traditional deflagration-based combustor where a pressure loss up to 5-8% can be experienced, the constant volume combustion provides an effective compression of the post-combustion gases over that provided by the compression stage. It is this additional compression that results in what is referred to as pressure gain, which ultimately translates into increased amount of work extracted from the system, making an RDE a pressure gain combustion (PGC) device. Drawing from our experiment, we will first discuss the basic operation of an RDE. Then, we will focus on one specific configuration, and introduce and discuss a series of phenomena that control the operation of the device, the dynamics of the detonation wave and possibly, its ability to generate pressure gain. Specifically, we will discuss the presence and impact of systems of secondary waves and secondary combustion fronts. In combination, they impact the stability and properties of the detonation wave, with consequences on achieving robust operation and gain in practical applications.
About the speaker:
Mirko Gamba is an Associate Professor in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research focuses on fundamental research in a diverse range of advanced and sustainable application concepts for propulsion and energy conversion systems, using laser diagnostics techniques as tools to investigate fundamental phenomena that control operation of these systems.
https://umich.zoom.us/j/93096785925; Passcode: AE585
Associate Professor
Aerospace Engineering
University of Michigan
Although the concept of using a rotating detonation wave in an enclosed (annular) chamber as a means of effective combustion dates back to the 1960’s, its use in rotating detonation engines (RDEs) has gained much attention only in recent years because of the thermodynamic benefits it offers for propulsion and power generation applications. The benefit offered by an RDE over conventional constant pressure combustion of traditional systems arises from the fact that, at least ideally, chemical energy release occurs at nearly constant volume across a detonation wave, rather than in a deflagrating region. Unlike a traditional deflagration-based combustor where a pressure loss up to 5-8% can be experienced, the constant volume combustion provides an effective compression of the post-combustion gases over that provided by the compression stage. It is this additional compression that results in what is referred to as pressure gain, which ultimately translates into increased amount of work extracted from the system, making an RDE a pressure gain combustion (PGC) device. Drawing from our experiment, we will first discuss the basic operation of an RDE. Then, we will focus on one specific configuration, and introduce and discuss a series of phenomena that control the operation of the device, the dynamics of the detonation wave and possibly, its ability to generate pressure gain. Specifically, we will discuss the presence and impact of systems of secondary waves and secondary combustion fronts. In combination, they impact the stability and properties of the detonation wave, with consequences on achieving robust operation and gain in practical applications.
About the speaker:
Mirko Gamba is an Associate Professor in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research focuses on fundamental research in a diverse range of advanced and sustainable application concepts for propulsion and energy conversion systems, using laser diagnostics techniques as tools to investigate fundamental phenomena that control operation of these systems.
https://umich.zoom.us/j/93096785925; Passcode: AE585
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