Conjugate heat transfer analysis of rotating detonation engines

Detonation engines based has potantial to provide thermal efficiencies significantly higher than modern aero-engines in use. Consequently, pressure gain combustion has gained importance in recent years. Since the temperature of the detanotion wave can reach values as high as 3000 K, it is important to understand the thermal loads over the engine structure in order to properly design a thermal management system for future demonstrators. Current study concentrates on the quantification of the heat loads over a rotating detonation engine by using a novel open source conjugate heat transfer solver. The numerical tool which solves the Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations on the fluid domain and conduction equation on the solid domain was created based on the OpenFOAM platform. Premixed H₂-air mixture is consumed by a single detonation wave in a 100 mm long rotating detonation combustor. Temperature variations in the inner and outer walls as well as fluid domain were reported along with heat transfer characterictic of the RDE over an exhaustive operation time.