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Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Improving the Combustion Performance of a Hybrid Rocket Engine using a Novel Fuel Grain with a Nested Helical Structure
Published on: January 18, 2021
Engine combustion modeling method based on hybrid drive.
Deng Hu1, Hechun Wang1, Chuanlei Yang1
1College of Power and Energy Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, 150001, Harbin, China.
This study introduces an improved zero-dimensional (0-D) physical model for engine combustion, integrating big data and a CNN-GRU network. This method accurately reconstructs the in-cylinder combustion process, enabling real-time engine monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Combustion Science
- Data Science
Background:
- Accurate reconstruction of in-cylinder combustion is crucial for engine monitoring.
- Traditional zero-dimensional (0-D) models face challenges in heat release rate calibration.
- Integrating big data offers potential for improved combustion prediction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an enhanced 0-D physical model for accurate in-cylinder combustion reconstruction.
- To improve the calibration of the heat release rate in combustion models.
- To leverage deep learning for real-time combustion process fitting and optimization.
Main Methods:
- An improved 0-D physical model incorporating cumulative fuel mass and in-cylinder temperature was developed.
- A deep neural network, Convolutional Neural Network-Gated Recurrent Unit (CNN-GRU), was designed for parameter calibration.
- The physical model was combined with the CNN-GRU network to reconstruct the combustion process.
Main Results:
- The improved 0-D model effectively reflects the heat release law.
- The CNN-GRU model achieved a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.5862 for peak firing pressure (PFP) under non-calibration conditions.
- The integrated model demonstrated accuracy in simplifying and reconstructing the combustion process.
Conclusions:
- The developed 0-D physical model with an improved cumulative fuel mass approach is effective for heat release law representation.
- The CNN-GRU based prediction model shows promise for online fitting and optimization of the combustion process.
- This integrated approach offers a viable solution for timely monitoring of engine combustion states.
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