Design and Development of Pulse Detonation Rocket Engine with Predetonator (original) (raw)

Pulse Detonation Engines (PDE’s) represent an upcoming new approach to propulsion and with the simplicity of its construction; PDE’s produce thrust more efficiently than the current engines and produces a higher specific thrust. Since current rocket engines require heavy and expensive pumps; with mechanical simplicity and thermodynamic efficiency PDE’s offer a viable alternative to reduce the cost of launching spacecraft. Since the obstacles used in Deflagration-to-Detonation Technique (DDT) not only helps in detonation formation but also provides drag to the detonation wave hence formed and also leads to increase in weight, if considering a large main detonation tube. So the concept of predetonator came into, which provides a viable alternative as a small confined area is restricted for detonation formation at the expense of a small amount of extra fuel and oxygen. The PDRE used here is a 30mm inner diameter main detonation tube with 800mm length and a predetonator tube of 30mm dia...