A paper on air-breathing rotating detonation engines (RDE), written by Purdue researchers and AAE associate professor Carson Slabaugh, has earned the inaugural Editor's Choice award from the AIAA's Journal of Propulsion and Power. 

The paper describes experiments performed using a 240-mm-diameter RDE at conditions relevant to a land-based gas turbine for power generation. Gas turbine engines are extensively used for air and naval propulsion, as well as land-based power generation. This series of experiments test the potential use of an RDE as a pressure gain combustion technology, which promises lower fuel costs and environmental impact.

"Integrating a pressure gain combustion (PGC) technology has shown promise of as much as 7% increase in thermal efficiency above current state-of-the-art gas turbine engines. This step change in engine performance would have tremendous impact on fuel consumption and pollutant emissions throughout the propulsion and energy sectors," the authors write in the paper: High-Speed Diagnostics in a Natural Gas–Air Rotating Detonation Engine. 

Experiments were conducted on the APEX test stand at Purdue's Maurice J. Zucrow Labs. The test platform has a 45 kN single-component thrust measurement system and fluid services to provide up to 10  kg/s of nonvitiated, heated air at temperatures up to 810 K, with up to 1.8  kg/s of natural gas and 2.3  kg/s of gaseous oxygen to promote detonability.

JPP’s quarterly Editor’s Choice award selects articles based on outstanding quality, innovation, or relevance to trending topics in the field.