Rotating Detonation Combustors present a promising advancement in propulsion and power generation with potential for improved thermal efficiency and power density. However, RDC operating characteristics depend significantly on the injector design, with injector pressure losses and mixing quality having a strong influence on wave-mode selection, wave speed, and pressure gain performance. Understanding these dependencies, and implementing more performant injector designs, are essential steps in maturing the technology.

This thesis, conducted at the TU Berlin Hermann-Föttinger Institute for Fluid Dynamics, examines the influence of the injector design on RDC operation. First, a comparative study evaluates a novel low-pressure-loss Twin-Co-Axial injector against a well-documented Radial-Inward-Slot baseline, assessing reduced injector pressure losses and improved mixing quality. Second, the effect of injector pressure-balance is investigated, a parameter governing post-wave recovery and impacting the balance between mixture stratification and parasitic burning. Together, these studies advance the understanding of injector-driven wave behaviour and performance.