Studying experimentally performances of a pulse detonation combustor (PDC) integrated with a turbine

Aim. In our discussion at the beginning of the paper, in order to make further advance in PDC research, we conclude preliminarily that it is necessary to estimate the effect of cyclic high pressure pulses on turbine performances. Fig. 1 in the full paper shows the block diagram of our experimental setup. Fig. 4 shows the experimental data of the compressor outlet air mass flow versus PDC inlet air mass flow under cold flow or detonation conditions. Fig. 5 shows the experimental data of the compressor pressure ratio versus detonation frequency. Fig. 6 shows the experimental data of: (1) compressor work versus detonation frequency; (2) isentropic compression work versus detonation frequency. Fig. 7 shows the experimental data of: (1) compressor power versus detonation frequency; (2) isentropic compression power versus detonation frequency. Fig. 8 shows the experimental data of compressor efficiency versus detonation frequency. The experimental results show preliminarily that: (1) the PDC works stably when its detonation frequency is from 1 to 10 Hz; (2) when the detonation frequency is 10 Hz, the pressure ratio of the compressor driven by a turbine is 1.216; (3) the compressor power and isentropic compression power are 2.756 kW and 1.663 kW respectively, meaning that the compressor efficiency is 0.603. The experimental results are in good agreement with the measured data provided by a turbocharger manufacturer. The compressor pressure ratio, compressor power, isentropic compression power, compressor efficiency, and turbine power all increase with increasing detonation frequency.