# US 11,898,757 B2 · Rotating detonation propulsion system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,898,757 B2 - Document ID: US11898757B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/392,514 - Filed: 2021-08-03 - Published: 2021-12-02 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-14 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Nicholas William Rathay; Narendra Digamber Joshi; Venkat Eswarlu Tangirala - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11898757B2 ## CPC - F23R 7/00: Intermittent or explosive combustion chambers - B64C 3/32: specially adapted for mounting power plant - B64C 23/04: by generating shock waves - B64D 27/02: Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants - F02C 5/02: characterised by the arrangement of the combustion chamber in the chamber in the plant (combustion chambers per se F23R) - B64C 9/38: Jet flaps - F23R: GENERATING COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF HIGH PRESSURE OR HIGH VELOCITY, e.g. GAS-TURBINE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS (fluidised bed combustion apparatus specially adapted for operation at superatmospheric pressures F23C10/16) - B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00) ## Abstract A propulsion system includes at least one rotating detonation actuator comprising: a flow path extending from an inlet end to an outlet end; an inner wall defining a radially inner boundary of the flow path; an outer wall defining a radially outer boundary of the flow path; and at least one aircraft wing. The rotating detonation actuator is disposed in the aircraft wing. At least one rotating detonation wave travels through the flow path from the inlet end to the outlet end. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A propulsion system comprising: at least one rotating detonation actuator comprising: an annulus extending from an inlet end to an outlet end; an inner wall defining a radially inner boundary of the annulus; an outer wall defining a radially outer boundary of the annulus; and an annular engine casing, the annular engine casing comprising an engine exhaust section, wherein the at least one rotating detonation actuator is disposed in the engine exhaust section of the annular engine casing, and wherein at least one rotating detonation wave travels through the annulus from the inlet end to the outlet end. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The propulsion system of claim 1, the at least one rotating detonation actuator further comprising a plurality of rotating detonation actuators, the plurality of rotating detonation actuators arranged around an annular engine casing, each rotating detonation actuator spanning an arc segment of the annular engine casing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The propulsion system of claim 2, the plurality of rotating detonation actuators further comprising four rotating detonation actuators, each rotating detonation actuator of the four rotating detonation actuators spanning an arc segment of the annular engine casing from about 80 degrees to about 95 degrees. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The propulsion system of claim 2, each rotating detonation actuator of the plurality of rotating detonation actuators further comprising an inner annulus band and an outer annulus band, wherein each of the inner annulus band and the outer annulus band comprises concave contouring that is oriented in a radially inward direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The propulsion system of claim 4 further comprising a mixer coupling disposed at an axially aft portion of each of the inner annulus band and the outer annulus band, wherein the inner annulus band and the outer annulus band intersect at the mixer coupling. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The propulsion system of claim 1, the at least one rotating detonation actuator further comprising a plurality of rotating detonation actuators, wherein a first rotating detonation actuator of the plurality of rotating detonation actuators is selectively operated at a different operating condition than a second rotating detonation actuator of the plurality of rotating detonation actuators, to vector thrust downstream of the outlet end. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The propulsion system of claim 5, the annulus further comprising: an upstream portion extending in an axially aft direction; a transition point disposed at an aft portion of the upstream portion; and a downstream portion extending both axially aft and radially inward, the downstream portion disposed axially aft of the transition point. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The propulsion system of claim 1, the at least one rotating detonation actuator further comprising from about 2 to about 100 substantially circular rotating detonation actuators circumferentially disposed around the annular engine casing. ### Claim 9 A thrust vectoring system comprising: at least one rotating detonation actuator comprising: an annulus extending from an inlet end to an outlet end; an inner wall defining a radially inner boundary of the annulus; an outer wall defining a radially outer boundary of the annulus; at least one flow surface disposed downstream of the outlet end; and a plurality of fuel injectors disposed in at least one of the inner wall and the outer wall, the plurality of fuel injectors circumferentially spaced around the annulus, wherein each fuel injector of the plurality of fuel injectors is selectively actuated to induce a net thrust vector downstream of the outlet end. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The thrust vectoring system of claim 9, further comprising an actuator exit disposed at the outlet end of the at least one rotating detonation actuator, the actuator exit oriented so as to direct combustion gases both axially aftward and radially inward, wherein each fuel injector of the plurality of fuel injectors protrudes into the annulus.