Does anyone understand how this damn thing runs?

[Bill Blue]

Ran across this on the Locost forum.
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6397
Anyone care to explain this thing to me in language I MIGHT be able to understand? I see two heads and 4 intake manifolds, but how can it pump air?

Bill

 

[norville]

Pulse detonation engine using quad 4 cylinder heads..

Here's a good read

http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/article/2003-08/after-combustion-detonation?page=1

bob

 

[skywords]

A pulse rocket Looks like they have added a lot of frontal area to that Long Ezy.

 

[Bill Blue]

Sure would like to see the compressor that allows it to run. Wonder how they powered it? 'Cause what they showed sure would not "run".
Bill

 

[jumpinjan]

I know a lot about it. It was built by some of my fellow propulsion engineers working in the labs at Wright-Patterson AFB.
I looked at this about 6 months ago when it went on display.
Yes, it uses the high flowing heads from the Gm Quad4 and they are flowing air using both intake & exhaust valves. There's a Quad4 head on top of the combustion chamber and another below. All 8 valves flow air into the combustion chamber at a pretty significant rate (using a compressor disk & powered by a Rotax ultralight airplane engine).
This project was built as a dare that no airplane could fly on pulse detonation alone. The skeptics were wrong, but you really wont see this on light aircraft like this one. Pulse detonation technology would be used on military aircraft.
Jan