Research

High Fidelity and Reduced Order Modeling for Rotating Detonation Combustors

BE-FAST is actively working on rotating detonation technology. This includes, modeling with three-dimensional unsteady RANS simulations with finite-rate H2-air chemistry, comparing 3D URANS with experiments (Athmanathan et al., 2022). We have been working on reduced order models to model the combustor and its heat flux in a matter of minutes. We also have interest in supersonic nozzles with unsteady rotating shock waves, to predict heat flux levels as well as pressure losses (Braun et al., 2017).

Athmanathan V., Braun J., Ayers Z.M., Fugger C.A., Webb A.M., Slipchenko M.N., Paniagua G., Roy S., Meyer T.R., On the effects of reactant stratification and wall curvature in non-premixed rotating detonation combustors, Combustion and Flame, Volume 240, 2022, 112013, ISSN 0010-2180, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2022.112013.

Braun J., Saavedra J., and Paniagua G., Evaluation of the unsteadiness across nozzles downstream of rotating detonation combustors, 55th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, AIAA SciTech Forum, January 2017, Grapevine, (AIAA 2017-1063)

MHz PLIF vs 3D URANS simulations of a hydrogen-air rotating detonation combustor. from: Atmanathan et al. (2022)

Experimental Analysis of Supersonic Multi-phase Flows

Liquid jets in supersonic crossflow are critical for supersonic propulsion applications, including mixing in scramjets and rotating detonation combustors. We are actively working on modeling as well as measurement techniques such as Mie Scatter and shadowgraph to quantify the interaction of liquid jets in supersonic cross flows (McKelvy et al., 2023).

McKelvy A., Braun J., Paniagua G., T. Andre, E. Choquet, Falempin F., 2023, Quantitative Definition Of Spray Edge With Extinction Diagnostics And Evaluation Of Attenuation Coefficient For Liquid Jets In Supersonic Crossflow. ASME Turbo Expo 2023 GT2023-102536

Wang B., Braun J., Paniagua G., Andre T., Falempin F., “Characterization of Eulerian Multiphase Flow Modeling of Liquid Atomization in Supersonic Crossflow Injection”, ILASS-Americas 32nd Annual Conference on Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems, May 22-25, 2022

Spray in cross flow at Mach 2 (left) and CFD model vs experiment (right). From: McKelvy et al. (2023) and Wang et al. (2022)

Development of Bladeless Turbines

For his PHD, Dr. James Braun (advisor: Dr. Guillermo Paniagua) developed the concept of a helicoidal wavy-shaped expansion system, the bladeless turbine, to enable power harvesting from shock waves in supersonic flows (Braun et al., 2020). We are currently working to further develop this technology through simulation and experiment.

Braun J., Paniagua G., Falempin F., Le Naour F., Design of Axial Bladeless Turbines for Supersonic Flows, ASME. J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2019 doi: https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4045359