Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
John Bennewitz
Committee Member
Gabe Xu
Committee Member
Robert Frederick
Research Advisor
John Bennewitz
Subject(s)
Rocket engines--Design and construction, Detonation waves, Space vehicles--Propulsion systems, Rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE)
Abstract
Rotating detonation rocket engines (RDREs) use one or more detonation waves traveling circumferentially around an annular (center body, CB) or cylindrical (center bodiless, CBL) combustion chamber, offering theoretical advantages over conventional deflagration-based combustors. A new geometry, the center fill (CF), further enhances the CBL geometry by adding a fuel-oxidizer injector ring near the center of the combustion chamber, increasing energy density and thus propulsion performance. To evaluate CF operability and performance, a 25 mm CF RDRE running gaseous methane and oxygen is tested across varying equivalence ratios at 0.076 kg/s total mass flow rate, and across varying mass flow rates at an equivalence ratio of 1.25, then compared to CB and CBL configurations under identical conditions. At fuel-lean conditions, the CF geometry produces significantly higher thrust and specific impulse than both alternatives and exhibits a spatially wider reaction zone than the CBL geometry, which has implications on future RDRE designs.
Recommended Citation
Mead, Nathan C., "Performance comparison of a 25 mm rotating detonation rocket engine using multi-ring injection" (2026). Theses. 856.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/856