Comparison of Flamelet and Transported Species-Based Modeling of Rotating Detonation Engines

Limited research has incorporated detailed kinetic mechanisms in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of Rotating Detonation Engines (RDE). Among these studies, the quasi-laminar (QL) approach is predominantly employed to capture the influence of turbulence on the reaction rate, given its simplicity. However, the impact of sub-grid scale turbulent-chemistry interaction modeling on RDE simulations remains largely unexplored. In this investigation, both flamelet-based and transported species-based models are utilized to explore combustion in the RDE, employing the framework of large eddy simulation. The simulations are conducted based on a two-dimensional unwrapped geometric model of the RDE. The transported species-based approach successfully establishes the baseline solution, and the applicability of the classical premixed level-set flamelet approach for reacting flow in the RDE is scrutinized. Ultimately, a modified premixed flamelet model is proposed for RDE simulation.