Thermodynamic performance analysis of turbofan engine with a pulse detonation duct heater

Abstract The potential performance gain of utilizing pulse detonation combustion in the bypass duct of a turbofan engine was investigated in this study. Pulse detonation turbofan engine concepts were studied and their performances were assessed. There were six cases according to different bypass ratio, different exhaust methods and with Pulse Detonation Combustor (PDC) in bypass duct or not. Four study combinations were established to compare the performance of different cases. The specific thrust ( F s ), specific fuel consumption (sfc) of conventional turbofan engines and the new pulse detonation turbofan engine concepts were calculated and compared on design point and with the change of flight Mach number or altitude. The nozzle performance was considered in the present work. The calculation methods of PDC in bypass duct with different exhaust methods were explored. And the calculation methods of PDC adopted in this research could be a reference for other hybrid propulsion system with PDC.