Wave Rotor Combustor Test Rig Preliminary Design

Abstract

Pressure gain combustion in a wave rotor approaching the thermodynamic ideal of constant volume combustion has been proposed to significantly enhance the performance of gas turbine engines. A computational and experimental program is currently being conducted to investigate the combustion process and performance of a wave rotor with detonative and near-detonative internal combustion. An innovative and flexible preliminary design of the test rig is presented to demonstrate the operation and performance of the system. A preliminary design method based on a sequence of computational models is used to design wave processes for testing in the rig and to define rig geometry and operating conditions. The operating cycle allows for propagation of the combustion front from the exit end of the combustion channel to the inlet end. This is similar to and motivated by the Constant Volume Combustor (CVC) concept that seeks to produce a relatively uniform set of outflow conditions in both spatial and time coordinates.