Abstract:
The oblique detonation engine (ODE) uses the oblique detonation wave (ODW) generated by a wedge in supersonic combustible mixtures to achieve fast and efficient combustion, which is more applicable to air-breathing hypersonic aircraft with higher flight Mach numbers than a conventional scramjet. Prior to the practical application of ODE, it is first necessary to clarify the initiation structure characteristics of ODWs in the combustor under flight conditions. However, previous studies usually used the infinite length wedge hypothesis which cannot really reflect the flow and combustion characteristics of finite length induced ODW in the actual combustor. Two key design parameters, i.e., the wedge length and end inclination angle, are used to investigate the effects of finite length wedge on the initiation structure of ODW in an ODE at different flight Mach numbers. Results show that there is a critical wedge length for different ODW initiation structures corresponding to different flight conditions. Only when the wedge length is shortened to the critical length, the ODW initiation structure will change significantly. When the wedge length is equal to or less than this critical length, both the wedge length and end inclination angle will affect the structure. On the contrary, the expansion wave generated at the end of the wedge cannot affect the heat release and compression wave convergence on the wedge, so it will not affect the ODW initiation process and structure. By analyzing the heat release process on the wedge, a theoretical method for predicting the critical wedge length is proposed to contribute to the combustor design. The calculated results under different flight conditions are in good agreement with the simulation results.