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US 11,592,183 B2Granted
Systems, apparatuses and methods for improved rotating detonation engines
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsAndrew R. Mizener, Frank K Lu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Rotating detonation engines are provided with various improvements pertaining to performance and reliability. Improvements pertain to, for example, a fluidic valve/premixing chamber, injection/swirl, flow control and turning, ignition, and cooling. A rotating detonation engine can include a cylindrical inner shell within an outer housing, a cylindrical outer shell positioned between the inner shell and the outer housing, an annular gap between the outer shell and the outer housing functioning as a detonation chamber.
Claims12
A rotating detonation engine, comprising:
- a cylindrical outer housing including a front end, a rear end, and a central longitudinal axis that extends between the front and rear ends;
- a head mount mounted to the front end of the cylindrical outer housing, the head mount including injection ports configured to deliver fuel and oxidizer to the rotating detonation engine, coolant inflow holes configured to deliver coolant to the rotating detonation engine, and a coolant outflow hole configured to deliver coolant from the rotating detonation engine;
- a cylindrical inner shell contained within the cylindrical outer housing, the inner shell including a central coolant return channel that extends along the central longitudinal axis of the housing that is in fluid communication with the coolant outflow hole of the head mount;
- a cylindrical outer shell positioned between the inner shell and the cylindrical outer housing;
- a first annular gap formed between the outer shell and the cylindrical outer housing, the first annular gap functioning as a detonation chamber configured to facilitate continuous detonation of a mixture of fuel and oxidizer;
- and
- a second annular gap formed between the inner shell and the outer shell radially inward of the detonation chamber, the second annular gap functioning as a coolant supply channel, the second annular gap being in fluid communication with the coolant inflow holes of the head mount and the central coolant return channel of the inner shell,
- wherein, during operation of the rotating detonation engine, coolant can circulate through the coolant inflow holes of the head mount and the front end of the cylindrical outer housing, through the second annular gap formed between the inner and outer shells toward the rear end of the housing radially inward of the detonation chamber, through the central coolant return channel of the inner shell also radially inward of the detonation chamber back toward the front end of the housing, and through the coolant outflow hole of the head mount to provide cooling to a center region of the rotating detonation engine.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.