Pressure-Angle Polars Obtaining Flow Field of Rotating Detonation

Rotating detonation engines have been studied experimentally and numerically due to a higher thermal efficiency in theory. Numerical simulations of the flow field inside the engine cost more since the flow is unsteady and contains shock waves, detonation waves, and contact surfaces. Thus, a two-dimensional theoretical study with the method of pressure behind a shock wave or a rarefaction wave as a function of deflection angle of flow was carried out to predict the flow field and reduce the cost. Numerical simulations with a premixed inviscid model were also carried out to verify the theoretical results. The flow field at an equivalence ratio of 0.8 has a curved contact surface, whereas it has a plane contact surface at equivalence ratios of 0.9–1.2 because the RDW is stronger and more stable. Comparisons between the theoretical and numerical results show the theoretical method can be used to obtain a rough flow field inside the RDE, including the pressure and deflection angle of flow behind the shock wave and rarefaction wave. Most of the errors between the numerical and theoretical results are less than 10%.