New conception of ground turbines based on rotating detonation combustor

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Bing Wang, Haocheng Wen, Zifei Ji and Qiaofeng Xie

Tsinghua University, China

: J Nucl Ene Sci Power Generat Technol

Abstract

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Detonation is a type of combustion involving a shock front and a coupled exothermic front, with a high temperature and pressure gain. A rotating detonation combustor (RDC), one of detonation-based combustors, constrains rotating detonation waves in a cylindrical annual combustor, has three outstanding advantages: A theoretical thermal efficiency about 50% higher than the Brayton cycle, a considerable emission reduction of CO2 and NOx, and no moving parts. Due to those advantages, the rotating detonation combustion has become a research hotspot recently. Based on our work of rotating detonation, we look at its application in the energy field and first put forward the new concept of ground turbines based on RDC. The new ground turbine consists of compressors, turbines and the RDC, in place of traditional isobaric combustor. Thanks to the high pressure gain, compressors stage may be reduced to single (or far less stages), so does the turbines stage. A thermodynamics analysis of the rotating detonation was adopted to determine key parameters of ground turbines. We carried out amounts of experimental and numerical researches with RDE, to study the fundamental technique and characteristics of RDC, which are significant to the ground turbine. Moreover, a prototype of rotating detonation turbine engine has been built and tested in experiment to prove the feasibility of the concept. The ground turbine based on RDC shows great advantages on the thermal efficiency, emission reduction and manufacturing cost, which indicate its practical value in the future. We studied its basic characteristics and proved the concept by experimental means. Next, we will continue with the technical details and consider engineering issues.

Biography

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Email: wbing@tsinghua.edu.cn