Improvement of internal combustion engine performance using a new combustion technology based on detonation.

Keywords: Internal combustion engine, aerospace propulsion engine, detonation, shock wave, combustion, gas explosion, hydrogen combustion.

Detonation is an explosive combustion that propagates through combustible gas at speeds of 2 to 3 km per second, generating extremely high temperatures (up to 3000 K), pressures (up to several tens of atmospheres), and flow rates (up to 1000 m/s) due to the integrated nature of shock waves and combustion. This is a significant difference from normal combustion, where pressure changes little before and after the reaction. We are researching detonation application technology for aerospace propulsion engines that leverages this characteristic. By rapidly increasing pressure with strong shock waves and igniting combustion instantaneously, we expect to achieve miniaturization and higher efficiency of engines. Particularly, since detonation is more likely to occur in hydrogen combustion, it is an important phenomenon not only in the aerospace field but also from the perspectives of engineering applications and safety engineering in a hydrogen society. We have a comprehensive understanding of application technologies that utilize the characteristics of detonation, including foundational research that supports these applications.

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