SABR3: Rotating Detonation Engine

Discipline: MAE

Advisor: Dr. Taha Rezzag

This project will use a ramjet-style inlet system to condition supersonic air flow for an air-breathing rotating detonation engine (RDE) combustor. Our team’s flow conditioning system will integrate with another senior design team developing the RDE combustor. Together, we aim to validate that an air-breathing RDE can operate within a supersonic flight regime. The main components of our system are a converging-diverging nozzle and a supersonic diffuser. The C-D nozzle accelerates the airflow to Mach 3 to simulate the pressure, temperature, and velocity conditions of supersonic flight. The diffuser then uses oblique shock waves to slow the flow to subsonic speeds while recovering critical flow properties needed for detonation in the RDE combustor. This project is highly relevant to aviation, defense, and research applications. Its small scale makes it suitable for compact supersonic vehicles – such as drones and missiles – or for use as a supersonic wind tunnel. The inlet system and RDE could also be scaled for larger vehicles, such as commercial supersonic transport. As a result, this project lays the groundwork for advances in compact supersonic propulsion systems.

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