US 7,251,928 B2Granted

Pulse detonation engine and valve

AssigneeJapanese Aerospace Exploration Agency

InventorsTakayuki Kojima, Tetsuya Sato, Hiroaki Kobayashi

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Abstract

Pressure and density of a gaseous mixture are increased in the process of introducing the gaseous mixture into the combustor of an air-breathing pulse detonation engine employing atmospheric oxygen as an oxidizer. The exit valve 20 able to be opened and closed is provided at the outlet of the combustor 15, an air cooler 12 is provided in the exit of the intake, and density is increased by exchange of heat of the air received at the intake with a coolant in the air cooler 12. Furthermore, by closing the exit valve 20 provided in the outlet of the combustor during the process of loading the gaseous mixture, transition to the detonation process is possible without expansion of the high-pressure high density air obtained by ram-compression at the intake.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A pulse detonation engine for detonating a gaseous mixture of an oxidizer and a fuel in a combustor to obtain thrust, comprising:

a supply valve able to open and close provided in the inlet of said combustor;
and
an exit valve able to open and close provided in the outlet of said combustor,
wherein said supply valve is rotationally driven to open the inlet of said combustor and said exit valve is rotationally driven to close the outlet while said gaseous mixture is supplied to the combustor;
and
wherein said exit valve is rotationally driven to close the outlet of said combustor and said supply valve is rotationally driven to close the inlet while said gaseous mixture is ignited and a combustion occurs with a detonation wave propagated in the combustor;
and
wherein said exit valve is rotationally driven to open the outlet of said combustor and said supply valve is rotationally driven to close the inlet when said detonation wave of said combustion reaches the outlet of the combustor.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/061,546Filed 18 Feb 2005
Priority: JP 2004-04273519 Feb 2004
Published: US 2005/0183413 A125 Aug 2005
Granted: 7 Aug 2007
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

F02K 9/805
Characterised by thrust or thrust vector control: servo-mechanisms or control devices therefor
F02K 7/06
The jet being intermittent, i.e. pulse-jet: with combustion chambers having valves
F23C 15/00
Apparatus in which combustion takes place in pulses influenced by acoustic resonance
F23R 7/00
Intermittent or explosive combustion chambers