Experimental study on operating characteristics of solid rocket ramjet rotating detonation engine
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: To further enhance the performance of solid rocket ramjet engines, this study applies rotating detonation combustion to the afterburner of a solid rocket ramjet and investigates the operating characteristics of a solid rocket ramjet rotating detonation engine using a direct-connect experimental system. The experiments were conducted under three operating conditions, using fuel-rich gas generated by oxygen-poor solid propellant as fuel, with the equivalence ratio adjusted by controlling the air mass flow rate. The rotating detonation combustor adopts a hollow configuration, with a single experimental duration of approximately 5 s. The results show that, under suitable conditions, the fuel-rich gas can auto-ignite and form stable single-wave detonation without secondary ignition. The effects of air mass flow rate-equivalence ratio on rotating detonation combustion were investigated. As the air mass flow rate increased from 1184.63 g/s to 1550.66 g/s and the equivalence ratio decreased from 1.28 to 0.98, the combustor pressure increased from 0.186 MPa to 0.208 MPa, the combustor temperature decreased from 1760 K to 1614 K, and the detonation wave velocity decreased from 1750 m/s to 1682 m/s.
Source: Applied Thermal Engineering
Institution: Nanjing University of Science and Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,660
OpenAlex ID: W7212113124