A Brayton cycle engine and method for operation. The engine includes an inner wall assembly and an upstream wall assembly each extended from a longitudinal wall into a gas flowpath. An actuator adjusts a depth of the detonation combustion region into the gas flowpath between the inner wall assembly and the upstream wall assembly. The engine flows an oxidizer through the gas flowpath and the inner wall captures a portion of the oxidizer. The engine further adjusts the captured flow of oxidizer via the upstream wall and flows a first flow of fuel to the captured flow of oxidizer to produce rotating detonation gases. The engine flows the detonation gases downstream and to mix with the flow of oxidizer, and flows and burns a second flow of fuel to the detonation gases/oxidizer mixture to produce thrust.

A rotary detonation rocket engine generator system can include an axial drive shaft operably coupleable to an electrical generator. At least one support arm is radially coupled to the axial drive shaft and has corresponding rotary detonation rocket engines. An air-fuel mixing chamber receives ambient air and fuel to form an air-fuel mixture and deliver the air-fuel mixture to an annular combustion chamber. At least one pulse detonation combustion chamber is in fluid communication with the annular combustion chamber to receive an oxidizer and fuel to form an oxidizer-fuel mixture. The at least one pulse detonation combustion chamber creates a detonation wave that travels along the at least one pulse detonation chamber to the annular combustion chamber and ignites the air-fuel mixture as the detonation wave travels around the annular combustion chamber to generate thrust force that causes rotation of the axial drive shaft to drive the electrical generator.

A rotary detonation rocket engine generator system can include an axial drive shaft operably coupleable to an electrical generator. At least one support arm is radially coupled to the axial drive shaft and has corresponding rotary detonation rocket engines. An air-fuel mixing chamber receives ambient air and fuel to form an air-fuel mixture and deliver the air-fuel mixture to an annular combustion chamber. At least one pulse detonation combustion chamber is in fluid communication with the annular combustion chamber to receive an oxidizer and fuel to form an oxidizer-fuel mixture. The at least one pulse detonation combustion chamber creates a detonation wave that travels along the at least one pulse detonation chamber to the annular combustion chamber and ignites the air-fuel mixture as the detonation wave travels around the annular combustion chamber to generate thrust force that causes rotation of the axial drive shaft to drive the electrical generator.

A combustor for a rotating detonation engine includes an outer tapered wall extending along an axis; an inner tapered wall extending along the axis, wherein the inner tapered wall is positioned within the outer tapered wall to define an annular combustion chamber having an annular gap between the outer tapered wall and the inner tapered wall, wherein the outer tapered wall is moveable relative to the inner tapered wall along the axis, and wherein movement of the outer tapered wall relative to the inner tapered wall changes the annular gap of the annular combustion chamber. Obstacles can be positioned on either or both of inner and outer wall to enhance turbulence within the combustion chamber.

A combustor for a rotating detonation engine includes a radially outer wall extending along an axis (A); a radially inner wall extending along the axis (A), wherein the radially inner wall is positioned within the radially outer wall to define an annular detonation chamber having an inlet for fuel and oxidant and an outlet; a first passage for feeding at least one of the fuel and the oxidant along a first passage axis (a.sub.1) to the inlet; a second passage for feeding at least one of the fuel and the oxidant along a second passage axis (a.sub.2) to the inlet, wherein the second passage axis is arranged at an angle (α) relative to the first passage axis whereby mixing of flow from the first passage and the second passage is induced.

A constant volume combustion system includes at least one combustion chamber having at least one admission port and an exhaust port. The system also includes at least one elastically deformable tongue made of ceramic matrix composite material forming an air admission valve, the tongue being present inside the chamber and being positioned facing the admission port, the tongue having a first end that is stationary relative to an inside wall of the chamber and a second end, opposite from the first end, the second end being free and movable relative to the inside wall.

A device and assembly for reliably generating supersonic detonation waves in a fuel and air or fuel and oxygen mixture. The device uses a hemispherical detonation chamber into which reactants, consisting of a fuel and air or oxygen mixture are injected and ignited by a laser to initiate a detonation wave. The wave is reflected by the hemispherical geometry of the detonation chamber and exits the device through a fast-acting valve. The detonation chamber is then purged and the cycle is repeated many times per second. The device can be used for various applications which include but are not limited to a stand-alone intermittent combustion engine, a pre-detonator for an intermittent combustion engine, a projectile launcher, a cleaning device, acoustical energy generation, pressure energy generation, various manufacturing processes and electric power generation. The device may use liquid, gaseous, or solid fuels, depending on the application.

A device and assembly for reliably generating supersonic detonation waves in a fuel and air or fuel and oxygen mixture. The device uses a hemispherical detonation chamber into which reactants, consisting of a fuel and air or oxygen mixture are injected and ignited by a laser to initiate a detonation wave. The wave is reflected by the hemispherical geometry of the detonation chamber and exits the device through a fast-acting valve. The detonation chamber is then purged and the cycle is repeated many times per second. The device can be used for various applications which include but are not limited to a stand-alone intermittent combustion engine, a pre-detonator for an intermittent combustion engine, a projectile launcher, a cleaning device, acoustical energy generation, pressure energy generation, various manufacturing processes and electric power generation. The device may use liquid, gaseous, or solid fuels, depending on the application.

The present invention is a turbofan propulsion system, based on a tangential gas turbine that is structurally a part of the propulsion system's centrifugal compressor, wherein the gas turbine's combustion chambers with nozzles are placed to rotate around a larger radius circle at a supersonic circumferential speed, and the fan blades are placed to rotate around a smaller radius circle at a subsonic circumferential speed, therefore increasing the efficiency of the propulsion system.

A detonation engine can detonate a mixture of fuel and oxidizer within a cylindrical detonation region to produce work. The detonation engine can have a first and a second inlet having ends fluidly connected from tanks to the detonation engine. The first and second inlets can be aligned along a common axis. The inlets can be connected to nozzles and a separator can be positioned between the nozzles and along the common axis.