Experimental and Analytical Evaluation of Solid Fueled Gas Generator Effluents Suitable for High Mach Combined Cycle PDE Applications

The topic presented in this proposal has direct application to the development and demonstration of high Mach combined cycle engines. The proposed effort would allow the coupling of a pulse detonation engine (PDE) with a realistic solid fueled gas generator. The specific key technical problems identified in this proposal are the absence of experimental gas generator effluent detonability information under realistic conditions and lack of system integration and implementation issues studies regarding the use of solid-fueled gas generators with pulse detonation engines. Present efforts are concentrating on the demonstration of a prototype PDE using hydrogen or propane as the fuel at non-flight conditions. In these efforts fuel and oxidizer temperatures and pressures are not indicative of realistic flight conditions and the fuels tested thus far are only representative of actual gas generator effluents. A viable solid fuel gas generator has yet to be identified and developed. The proposed effort would produce preliminary detonability data on fuel/oxidizer mixtures which would match (as closely as possible) proposed or existing gas generator effluents and investigate systems integration and implementation issues associated with utilizing a solid fuel gas generator with a PDE.