Study of the ignition process in a laboratory scale rotating detonation engine

A rotating detonation engine is tested in a direct connect configuration to identify the impact of different geometric and flow parameters on the ignition processes within these devices. Identification of the relationship between the pre-detonation chamber pressure and the rate of pressure rise within the fuel and air feed manifolds is a feature of this work. Steady detonating operation on gaseous hydrocarbon fuel is presented to identify the pertinent scaling laws that govern the transition of rotating detonation engine based combustion systems to steady detonating operation. Instances of acoustic operation and partial, or suppressed, detonating ignition are examined to further understand the various aspects of the propellant feed systems that influence the ignition process.