Pulse Detonation Engines (PDE's)

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 01:31:20 GMT, "Thomas Schoene"
wrote:

Bruce Simpson wrote:
On 6 Mar 2004 18:07:31 -0800, (Eric Moore)
wrote:

If it can't be used as a propulsive source, then what CAN it be used
for?

Right now -- not very much, if the published results are anything to
go by :-)

Aviation Week has an article this issue about the Air Force Research
Laboratory's Combustion Science Branch, which plans to test-fly a Scaled
Composites LongEZ sportplane with a four-cylinder PDE in lieu of a
conventional engine. Sounds like they think it will work, though it's going
to be a loud SOB. And they basically admit that they don't see this as a
practical operation: the plane will only make a few flights and nothing
cross-country. But it's a start.

I think these are the same people:

http://www.pr.afrl.af.mil/divisions/...News/news.html

I think this is a "proof of concept" configuration rather than a
practical demonstration of the technology.

Have you seen the ancilliary equipment required to make that engine
work -- and despite all the weight and complexity, it's actually
*less* powerful than a traditional pulsejet of the same volume/weight.

Still, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step and I
suspect those doing the R&D on PDEs are under some pressure to
demonstrate progress so as to justify their budgets.

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