Session: 04-23 Pressure Gain Combustion II

Paper Number: 154257

Study of Enstrophy Dynamics During the Mode Transition in a Hydrogen Fueled Rotating Detonation Engine Combustor 

In this study, the dynamics of enstrophy and terms contributing to its amplification and attenuation is examined for a rotating
detonation engine (RDE) combustor. The analysis is performed using a dataset resulting from unsteady RANS simulations, which showed the transition from a sustained single detonation wave to a double co-rotating detonation wave in good agreement with experiments when mass flow rates of fuel and oxidizer are changed while maintaining the same equivalence ratio. The results show that the presence of detonation waves and inhomogeneities in the reactive flow field leads to the production and dissipation of enstrophy, particularly in the vicinity of the rotating detonation fronts. In addition, the vortex stretching, dilatation, and baroclinic effects contribute positively to enstrophy in the vicinity of the detonation front and exhibit significant spatial variations during the wave mode transition. 

This paper focuses on the enstrophy dynamics during the transition from a single sustained detonation wave to a double-
wave configuration in a hydrogen-fueled RDE combustor from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Using an Adap-
tive Mesh Refinement (AMR)-based URANS simulation dataset,validated against experimental measurements, we examine the spatiotemporal evolution of the reacting flow field. Specifically, the focus is on analyzing the roles of vortex stretching, dilatation,baroclinic effects, and viscous dissipation in influencing enstrophy during the transition from a single to a double detonation wave mode. By investigating the highly nonlinear interactions between flame dynamics and turbulence in this transition regime, this work seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving these complex phenomena. The novelty of this study lies in its detailed examination of enstrophy transport dynamics within a realistic 3D RDE combustor configuration, providing new fundamental insights into the complex nonlinear coupling between flow, turbulence, and combustion processes in RDEs. Hence, this study enhances the broader understanding of RDE behavior and offers a framework for optimizing performance through better control of flow and combustion processes in practical applications.

Presenting Author: Steven Thompson University of Central Florida

Presenting Author Biography: Mr. Steven Thompson is a graduate student in the Hasti Lab, School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA.

Authors:

Steven Thompson University of Central Florida
Reetesh Ranjan The University of Tennessee Chattanooga
Veeraraghava Raju Hasti University of Central Florida