Effect of mixing field on the performance of H₂O₂/kerosene gas-liquid rotating detonation

The rotating detonation rocket engine with liquid propellant is an important research direction of rocket propulsion. However, under the condition of rotating detonation, the mixing of liquid propellant is difficult, which seriously restricts the improvement of detonation performance. To address the issue, the H₂O₂/kerosene gas-liquid rotating detonation was investigated through theoretical analysis and the three-dimensional numerical simulation method. The influence of relative angle and mass flow rate on the performance of gas-liquid rotating detonation was studied. The results show that the combustor based on H₂O₂ decomposition gas/kerosene can achieve 97.33% of the theoretical specific impulse of the conventional combustor using only 11% of the characteristic length. When the penetration depth (wd) of the mixing ratio 7 isoline at 20 mm downstream of the injection point exceeds 40%, and the relative angle is acute, the detonation performance can reach a higher level. Within the relative angle range of 90° to about 30°, reducing the relative angle not only improves circumferential mixing but also promotes concentrated energy release of detonation, thereby enhancing the intensity of the detonation. However, when the relative angle is below 20.26°, it leads to insufficient radial penetration of kerosene jets and detonation wave decoupling. The optimal relative angle is around 35.95°, at which the velocity recovery reaches 87.84%. This value is 2.6% higher than that at 20.42° and 3.8% higher than that at 150.74°. For the given combustor, parasitic deflagration dominates when the mass flow rate exceeds 1.5 kg/s, while kerosene jet penetration depth dominates when the mass flow rate is below 1 kg/s. This study reveals the influence mechanisms of relative angle and flow rate on gas-liquid rotating detonation, providing significant value for combustor optimization.