Investigation on performance of pulse detonation turbine engine with PDC as a duct heater

A new model was developed to investigate the performance of turbofan engine with PDCs (pulse detonation combustors) in the bypass duct. The model was used to predict the thrust performance of an experimental system designed as a pulse detonation turbine engine with PDCs in the bypass duct. Further more, the component characteristics of a specific turbofan engine with PDCs in the bypass duct were investigated and the performance was compared with the same turbofan engine in which a traditional constant pressure combustor was installed in the bypass duct under the same mass flow rate of fuel. The results show that the predicted performance is higher than the experimental data, indicating that the experimental performance can be improved when suitable nozzle is placed downstream of the PDC exit. Additionally, while increasing operating frequency, the total thrust and specific fuel consumption of the engine increase. When the operating frequency holds constant, the pressure ratio, the averaged exit temperature of the PDC and the total thrust of the engine reach maximum at the equivalence ratio about 1.1, but the specific fuel consumption rate increases with increasing of equivalence ratio. Contrasted with the traditional constant pressure combustor in the bypass duct, the total thrust and specific fuel consumption are better when the PDC in the bypass duct operates with a frequency higher than 50Hz.