NETL researchers have successfully operated a new modular rotating detonation engine (RDE) combustor that offers full optical access to the fuel/air injectors, the combustion channel and across the exhaust duct. This will assist with acquiring crucial measurements to help accelerate the development of highly efficient RDE technology for power generation.

RDEs are an advanced type of combustion system that could yield higher efficiency and performance than traditional power generation systems. They operate by creating detonation waves that rotate around the inside of a modified gas turbine combustion chamber, subsequently increasing the gas pressure — like a piston but without moving parts — before sending the high-pressure, high-temperature gas to the turbine. Maximizing and utilizing this pressure gain would permit gas turbine-based systems to produce more power for the same amount of fuel compared to conventional systems.

“We are conducting experiments to understand and advance RDE technology because the rotating detonation process allows more of the fuel’s energy to be captured and used, resulting in higher power output, less fuel being consumed, a smaller industrial footprint and reduced environmental impact,” said NETL’s Todd Sidwell, who works on the project. “This research has the potential to increase the technology readiness level of RDE technology, which could accelerate industry deployment where the technology can help meet decarbonization goals and save consumers money through more efficient power generation.”

The combustor was recently installed in NETL’s Applied Thermal Science Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia, and its unique optical accessibility allows researchers to apply high-speed imaging and laser diagnostics to the air/fuel inlet, the combustion zone and combustor exhaust. These tools will capture critical data such as directional changes in the flow, flame structure, flame speed, mode switching and gas species measurement that will complement existing experimental and computational capabilities to help predict pressure gain.

The same design that makes important optical measurements possible also allows researchers to easily reach the combustor’s internal components. This includes the critical fuel/air injector, which plays a key role in enabling the RDE to maintain its continuous detonation cycle. Researchers can inspect, reconfigure and maintain the combustor and quickly adjust it for optimal performance.

“It can be very time-consuming to tear down a heavily instrumented combustor to repeatedly replace a component of critical research interest like the fuel/air injector,” Sidwell said. “The relatively simple geometry of this combustor can minimize that downtime.”

The modular rotating detonation wave combustor in Morgantown is another example of how NETL improves cutting-edge technologies and accelerates commercialization to bring the public cheaper, cleaner energy.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers solutions for a clean and secure energy future. By leveraging its highly skilled innovators and state-of-the-art research facilities, NETL is advancing carbon management and resource sustainability technologies to enable environmental sustainability for all Americans.