Inflow-Driven Valve System for Pulse Detonation Engines

A new valve system for a pulse detonation engine that uses a simple inflow-driven piston-interrupting valve isproposed. This valve can generate an intermittent flow by using gas enthalpy, so no power source or control unit isnecessary. The mass flow per valve unit mass is comparatively large, the thrust change with changing supply pressureis very responsive, and the inflow supply pressure range for stable operation is wide. In a mass flow rate measurementexperiment using a single-piston inflow-driven valve, the operation frequency and mass flow rate were predictable. Ina thrust measurement experiment with a pulse detonation rocket engine using a three-piston inflow-driven valve, thepulse detonation engine’s stable operation over a wide range of supply pressure was confirmed and the timeaveragedthrust was measured. Themaximum time-averaged thrust of 22.6Nwas achieved at a fuel (ethylene) supplypressure of 0.95MPaand an oxygen supply pressure of 1.9 MPa. Themaximum specific impulse of 279 s was achievedat an ethylene supply pressure of 0.8 MPa and an oxygen supply pressure of 1.6 MPa