Pulse detonation rocket engines operate by injecting propellants into long cylinders that are open on one end and closed on the other. When gas fills a cylinder, an igniter—such as a spark plug—is activated. Fuel begins to burn and rapidly transitions to a detonation, or powered shock.

Why are detonation engines more efficient?

A rotating detonation engine generates more power, which drives down specific fuel consumption. ... The key advantage of detonation combustion is that it generates pressure gain in the system, compared to the pressure loss produced by deflagration combustion.

What is rotating detonation combustor?

Rotating detonation combustors (RDC) are at the forefront of pressure gain combustion (PGC) research, utilizing one or more azimuthally spinning detonation waves, an intrinsically unsteady process, to effect a stagnation pressure rise across the device.