Back-Pressure Mitigation in Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines Using Tesla Valves

Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines (RDREs) offer pressure-gain combustion efficiency advantages, but cyclic backpressure disrupts injector performance, limiting stable operation. This study develops a validated 2D computational basis in ANSYS Fluent to systematically investigate injector geometry effects on detonation stability and propellant delivery. Establish a repeatable 2D simulation methodology targeting injector design optimization for 6-inch diameter RDREs, quantifying backflow mitigation, wave-injector interactions, and geometric sensitivity for scalable engine development. A 448.5 × 100 mm unwrapped annular domain incorporates explicit injector regions (parallel orifices vs. Tesla valves) with translational periodic boundaries, mass-flow inlet, and pressure outlet. Density-based inviscid Euler solver employs Roe-FDS flux, one-step methane and oxygen reaction chemistry, stiff solver, and CFL=2.5 variable time stepping (~10⁻⁷ s). Ignition uses 15×40 mm high-T (1500 K)/high-velocity (1500 m/s) patch; coarse quad mesh (1 mm² cells) with injector refinement respects 512k student license limit. The framework enables rapid parametric iteration identifying geometries minimizing injection disruption while sustaining continuous detonation.