US Patent 12078357 Rotating detonation-enabled augmentor systems

Systems and methods are provided herein useful to thrust augmentation in a gas turbine engine. In some embodiments, the systems include augmentors that incorporate a rotating detonation architecture. An exhaust system of a gas turbine engine includes an augmentor and a peripheral wall surrounding an exhaust system core. The augmentor comprises a detonation chamber disposed within the exhaust system core. The detonation chamber includes a channel formed in the peripheral wall. A core inlet path delivers a core air-fuel mixture and a pilot inlet path delivers a pilot air-fuel mixture to the detonation chamber. The core air-fuel mixture combusts in the detonation chamber along the midline the detonation chamber. The pilot air-fuel mixture detonates in the detonation chamber adjacent the peripheral wall to create a rotating detonation wave that supports the combustion reaction occurring along the midline of the detonation chamber.