Propagation of detonation in fuel–air mixtures in flat channels

The wide scatter of the values of the measured detonation cell size in fuel + air mixtures restricts the applicability of this parameter in the estimation of the geometric limits of detonation propagation, including in rectangular channels whose height is much larger than their width. The critical channel height for the propagation of detonation has been experimentally determined for hydrogen + air, propane + air, and ethylene + air mixtures. In order to reveal the specific features of the propagation and decay of detonation in a narrow channel, numerical simulation has been carried out for a hydrogen + air mixture with account taken of the cellular structure of the detonation wave.     

Critical conditions of hydrogen-air detonation in partially confined geometry

This work presents the results of the large scale experiments with detonation propagating in hydrogen–air mixtures in partially confined geometries. The main aim of the work was to find the critical conditions for detonation propagation in semi-confined geometries with uniform and non-uniform hydrogen–air mixtures. The experimental facility consisted of rectangular 9 × 3 × 0.6 m channel open from the bottom, acceleration section and test section, safety vessel, gas injection and data acquisition system. Sooted plates technique was used as a witness of the detonation. The rectangular channel was placed in a 100 m³ safety vessel. For uniform hydrogen–air mixtures experiments with four different channel heights h were performed: 8, 5, 3 and 2 cm. The critical hydrogen–air mixture height h* for which the detonation may propagate in a layer is close to the 3 cm which corresponds to approximately three detonation cell sizes. For non-uniform hydrogen–air mixture with hydrogen concentration slope equal approximately ?1.1%H₂/cm the critical hydrogen concentration at the top of the layer is approximately equal 26% and the mean detonation layer height is close to the 8.5 cm corresponding to the hydrogen concentration at the bottom of the layer approximately equal 16–17%.     

Calculation of shock wave propagation in water containing reactive gas bubbles

The entry of a shock wave from air into water containing reactive gas (stoichiometric acetylene–oxygen mixture) bubbles uniformly distributed over the volume of the liquid has been numerically investigated using equations describing two-phase compressible viscous reactive flow. It has been demonstrated that a steady-state supersonic self-sustaining reaction front with rapid and complete fuel burnout in the leading shock wave can propagate in this bubbly medium. This reaction front can be treated as a detonation-like front or “bubble detonation.” The calculated and measured velocities of the bubble detonation wave have been compared at initial gas volume fraction of 2 to 6%. The observed and calculated data are in satisfactory qualitative and quantitative agreement. The structure of the bubble detonation wave has been numerically studied. In this wave, the gas volume fraction behind the leading front is approximately 3–4 times higher than in the pressure wave that propagates in water with air bubbles when the other initial conditions are the same. The bubble detonation wave can form after the penetration of the shock wave to a small depth (~300 mm) into the column of the bubbly medium. The model suggested here can be used to find optimum conditions for maximizing the efficiency of momentum transfer from the pressure wave to the bubbly medium in promising hydrojet pulse detonation engines.     

Numerical study on three-dimensional C-J detonation waves: detailed propagating mechanism and existence of OH radical

An unsteady three-dimensional simulation is performed for a hydrogen/air C–J detonation in a rectangular tube, where a detailed chemical reaction model is used to reveal the C–J detonation structure. In this simulation, detailed propagating detonation structures for a diagonal mode are described in three-dimensions. The detonation front structures, the line of triple points, and the strong explosions at the corners of the rectangular tube are revealed by using a three-dimensional numerical visualization. From the spatial isosurface profiles of H₂ mass fraction, it is confirmed that the triple point lines have a role of “shutter” to generate unburned gas pockets and become of a ring shape behind the detonation front due to its explosion. The explosion process and its influence on an induction delay are observed by visualizing the spatial isosurface profiles of OH mass fraction. Moreover, a high “peninsula-shaped” OH mass fraction area, which has been experimentally reported, is reproduced on the side wall of the rectangular tube.     

Fluid dynamics of rotating detonation engines with hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels

Rotating detonation engines (RDE’s) represent a logical step from pulsed detonation engine concepts to a continuous detonation engine concept for obtaining propulsion from the high efficiency detonation cycle. The hydrogen/air and hydrogen/oxygen RDE concepts have been most extensively studied, however, being able to use hydrocarbon fuels is essential for practical RDE’s. The current paper extends our hydrogen/air model to hydrocarbon fuels with both air and pure oxygen as the oxidizer. Before beginning the RDE calculations, several detonation tube results are summarized showing the ability of the code to reproduce the correct detonation velocity and CJ properties. In addition, a calculation capturing the expected irregular detonation cell patterns of ethylene/air is also shown. To do the full range of fuels and oxidizers, we found the use of temperature-dependent thermodynamic properties to be essential, especially for hydrocarbon/oxygen mixtures. The overall results for air-breathing RDE’s with hydrocarbons ranged from 1990 to 2540 s, while in pure oxygen mode the specific impulse varied from 700 to 1070 s. These results were between 85% and 89% of the expected ideal detonation cycle results, and are in line with previous hydrogen/air estimates from our previous work. We conclude from this that hydrocarbon RDE’s are viable and that the basic flow-field patterns and behaviors are very similar to the hydrogen/air cases detailed previously.     

矩形管内临界爆轰动力学数值分析

 对矩形管内临界爆轰动力学特征进行了数值分析。采用基元反应描述爆轰化学反应过程,采用二阶附加半隐的龙格-库塔法和5阶WENO格式求解二维反应欧拉方程。对于25%氩稀释化学计量比的氢氧预混气体,当管道宽度为30 mm、初温为300 K时,产生临界爆轰的预混气体初压为3.5 kPa。在此临界条件下,获得了临界爆轰胞格结构、沿壁面的速度和峰值压力曲线及流场波系演变特征。着重对比分析了矩形管内临界爆轰与普通爆轰在爆轰波速度、平均速度、胞格宽长比、横波结构、未反应气囊及旋涡结构之间的差异,深入认识了临界爆轰的不稳定性和化学反应动力学特征。     

MHD Effects in Continuous Spin Detonation

Doklady Physics - Conversion possibility of the chemical energy of combustion products of a hydrogen–oxygen mixture into electrical energy with the use of continuous spin detonation has been...     

The role of spontaneous waves in the deflagration-to-detonation transition in submillimetre channels

Flame acceleration and transition to detonation in submillimetre two-dimensional planar and three-dimensional square channels were simulated by solving the compressible reactive Navier–Stokes equations. A simplified chemical–diffusive model was used to describe the diffusive transport and chemical reaction of a highly reactive mixture, such as stoichiometric ethylene and oxygen in 2D and 3D channels. The walls of the channels were modelled as no-slip and adiabatic. The initial flame acceleration and precursor shock formation were consistent with earlier results. Viscous dissipation in the boundary layer heats the reactants, which have been compressed by the precursor shock. The strength of the precursor shock and the amount of viscous dissipation increase until the temperature of the boundary layer is high enough to ignite the reactants. This produces a spontaneous wave, which, in most of the cases considered, initiates the detonation. The spontaneous wave first forms where the flame attaches to the wall in the planar channels, and forms at the corner where two walls meet in the square channels. In a separate study, the boundary layer also ignited in a computation for a circular tube containing a mixture hydrogen and oxygen represented by a detailed chemical reaction mechanism. The formation of spontaneous waves to the extent studied appears to be robust, and is relatively insensitive to channel geometry, fuel and oxidiser mixture, and the level of detail in the chemical–diffusive models used.     

Thrust characteristics of a pulse detonation engine operating on a liquid hydrocarbon fuel

A demonstrator of a pulse detonation combustion chamber of original design based on a cyclic deflagration- to-detonation transition in a mixture of separately fed liquid hydrocarbon fuel (propane–butane mixture) and air was developed. Fire tests of the demonstrator with an attached air duct, operating frequencies of up to 20 Hz, were performed on a thrust measurement bench. During the tests, wave processes in the gasdynamic duct were monitored and fuel consumption rate and thrust force were measured. At a frequency of operation of the demonstrator within 2–15 Hz, the fuel-based specific impulse was ~1000 s. It is shown that a partial filling of the gasdynamic duct with fuel mixture makes it possible to increase the specific impulse up to ~1100 s.     

Pulsating one-dimensional detonations in hydrogen–air mixtures

The propagation of one-dimensional detonations in hydrogen–air mixtures is investigated numerically by solving the one-dimensional Euler equations with detailed finite-rate chemistry. The numerical method is based on a second-order spatially accurate total-variation-diminishing scheme and a point implicit time marching algorithm. The hydrogen–air combustion is modelled with a 9-species, 19-step reaction mechanism. A multi-level, dynamically adaptive grid is utilized, in order to resolve the structure of the detonation. Parametric studies for an equivalence ratio range of 0.4–2.0, initial pressure range of 0.2–0.8 bar and different degrees of detonation overdrive demonstrate that the detonation is unstable for low degrees of overdrive, but the dynamics of wave propagation varies with fuel–air equivalence ratio and pressure. For equivalence ratios less than approximately 1.2 and for all pressures, the detonation exhibits a short-period oscillatory mode, characterized by high-frequency, low-amplitude waves. Richer mixtures exhibit a period-doubled bifurcation that depends on the initial pressure. Parametric studies over a degree of overdrive range of 1.0–1.2 for stoichiometric mixtures at 0.42 bar initial pressure indicate that stable detonation wave propagation is obtained at the high end of this range. For degrees of overdrive close to one, the detonation wave exhibits a low-frequency mode characterized by large fluctuations in the detonation wave speed. The McVey–Toong short-period wave-interaction theory is in qualitative agreement with the numerical simulations; however, the frequencies obtained from their theory are much higher, especially for near-stoichiometric mixtures at high pressure. Modification of this theory to account for the finite heat-release time significantly improves agreement with the numerically computed frequency over the entire equivalence ratio and pressure ranges.     

Shock wave dispersion of gas–particle mixtures

The decay of a discontinuity in a two-component homogeneous gas mixture and the dispersion of a gas–particle mixture with a two-component carrier medium are numerically simulated. The mathematical model of the dynamics of heterogeneous media takes into account the interphase force interaction and interphase heat exchange. Experimental results known from the literature are compared with numerical results describing the dispersion of a gas–particle mixture in a shock tube.     

乙炔-氧气混合气体强爆轰参数的理论估算与实验研究

 针对非定常的气相强爆轰过程,建立了气相爆轰的理论计算模型,结合C-J理论和多方气体物态方程,对乙炔-氧气混合气体的强爆轰参数进行了理论估算,并在激波管中开展了化学计量比的乙炔-氧气混合气体的强爆轰实验。对比研究表明：爆速的理论估算值与实验值符合较好,证实了采用C-J理论估算气相强爆轰参数的可行性,计算数据具有一定的参考价值。     

基于乙烯或氢气的吸气式旋转爆轰发动机实验

基于氢气的旋转爆轰发动机研究较多,而碳氢燃料与空气混合较为困难,导致基于乙烯的旋转爆轰发动机燃烧技术难度很高.使用宽视野范围的可视化燃烧室观察旋转爆轰波的研究在国内尚未开展.在同一燃烧室内进一步开展了乙烯或氢气的吸气式旋转爆轰实验,来流总温为283~284 K,燃烧室壁面有140°石英玻璃观察窗,便于观察旋转爆轰波运动过程.空筒燃烧室爆轰环腔外径为100 mm,轴向长度为151 mm.燃料通过150个直径0.8 mm圆柱孔进入燃烧室,空气通过喉部1 mm宽的收敛扩张环缝流入环腔.高速摄影和低高频压力传感器均验证了旋转爆轰波的存在和速度值.以氢气为燃料的旋转爆轰波速度最高可达理论值的101%,爆轰波增压效应可达40%左右,乙烯旋转爆轰波速度可达理论值的89%.旋转爆轰波结构容易发生变化,不规则.氢气旋转爆轰的维持对燃烧室的结构要求比碳氢燃料要低,比乙烯旋转爆轰波更加稳定.      

Numerical analysis on auto-ignition of a high pressure hydrogen jet spouting from a tube

In this study, a direct numerical simulation based on compressible flow dynamics has been applied to the autoignition and extinction of a high-pressure hydrogen jet spouting from a tube. The diameter of the tube is 4.8 mm. The length of the tube is 71 mm. At the inlet, pressure is set at 3.6, 5.3 and 21.1 MPa, and temperature is set at 300 K for all cases. To explore the autoignition of hydrogen jet, two-dimensional axisymmetric Navier–Stokes equations with a detailed chemical kinetics and rigorous transport properties have been employed. The hydrogen jet through the tube is choked. The numerical results show that the high-pressure hydrogen jet produces a semi-spherical shock wave in the ambient air at the early time of jetting. The shock wave heats up the air to a high temperature and causes the autoignition of the hydrogen and air mixture in the tube as well as at the tube exit.     

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of the operation of a rotating-detonation chamber with separate supply of fuel and oxidizer

A three-dimensional numerical simulation of the operation of an annular rotating-detonation chamber (RDC) with separate supply of combustible mixture components, hydrogen and air, is performed, and the calculation results are compared to available experimental data. The model is based on a system of time-dependent Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations complemented with a turbulence model and continuity and energy equations for a multicomponent reacting gas mixture. The system is solved using a coupled algorithm based on the finite volume method and particle method. Calculations are for the first time performed with allowance for effects of finite rates of turbulent and molecular mixing of the combustible mixture components with each other and with reaction and detonation products. The calculation results compare favorably with the experimental data obtained at the Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.     

Statistical simulation of the flow of vibrationally preexcited hydrogen in a shock tube and the possibility of physical detonation

The direct simulation Monte Carlo method is used to numerically simulate the problem of the shock wave front in vibrationally excited hydrogen flowing in the low-pressure channel of a shock tube. It is assumed that the vibrational temperature of the hydrogen equals 3000 K. The cases of partially and completely excited hydrogen are considered. Equilibrium hydrogen is applied as a pusher gas, but its concentration is 50 times higher than the hydrogen concentration in the low-pressure channel. In addition, the strength of the shock wave is varied by heating the pusher gas. It has been shown that, if the prestored vibrational energy is weakly converted to translational energy, the shock wave slows down over time. If the energy conversion is sufficiently intense, when the pusher gas is warm and only completely vibrationally excited hydrogen is in the low-pressure channel, the wave gains speed over time (its velocity increases roughly by a factor of 1.5). This causes physical detonation, in which case the parameters of the wave become dependent on the vibrational-to-thermal energy conversion and independent of the way of its initiation.     

Pressure loading of detonation waves through 90-degree bend in high pressure H2–O2–N2 mixtures

Detonation experiments are conducted to investigate the detonation wave behavior in steam pipelines of boiling water reactors. Accumulated gases in BWRs are stoichiometric hydrogen/oxygen mixtures diluted with steam at 7 MPa. In the experiment, flammable gas mixture diluted with nitrogen at room temperature and up to 5 MPa is used to achieve equivalent detonation condition. Two test pieces are used, one is straight tube and the other is 90-degree bend. No initial pressure dependency in detonation wave behavior is observed in the experiments. However, in the straight tube tests, detonation velocities higher than theoretical values are measured when the initial pressures are greater than 2.3 MPa. This result is considered as attribution of real gas effect. In the 90-degree bend experiments, pressure time histories reveal pressure loads greater than the straight tube portion at two locations. One is a high pressure peak at the extrados of the bend and the other is a double pressure peak just downstream of the bend outlet. Second pressure peak just downstream of the bend outlet is due to transverse wave propagation. Additionally, the largest impulse is observed not at the extrados of the bend but at the intrados of bend outlet. These results show the importance of more investigations on transverse wave behaviors in failure potential evaluation.     

CE/SE方法数值模拟炸药粉尘爆轰

采用CE/SE方法数值模拟悬浮在空气中的RDX炸药粉尘的两相爆轰过程.炸药颗粒在爆轰波阵面后的高温高速气流中加速并升温,释放能量支持爆轰波传播.数值模拟爆轰波管中的粉尘爆轰,得到爆轰波流场中的物理量分布,确定爆轰参数,数值结果与文献符合较好.数值模拟复杂通道中的炸药粉尘爆轰,预测了爆轰波的发展和传播过程以及爆轰波后的流场演化.数值结果表明CE/SE方法能成功模拟气体-固体两相爆轰,为粉尘爆轰的研究提供了新的数值预测手段.     

油气两相流体纵掠水平螺旋扁管管束摩擦压降的实验研究

以汽油-压缩空气为介质,对气液两相流体纵掠螺距为200mm的螺旋扁管管束的摩擦压降进行了实验研究。讨论并分析了质量含气率、混合物质量流速对摩擦压降的影响。提出了两种预测两相摩擦压降的方法:全液相摩擦乘子、L-M关系式。     

Effect of the plasma location on the deflagration-to-detonation transition of a hydrogen–air flame enhanced by nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges

This work presents a method for using nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) plasma discharges for accelerating a propagating flame such that the deflagration-to-detonation transition occurs. A strategy is developed for bringing the location of the plasma near the tube wall and, thus, reducing the presence of the electrodes in the combustion tube as well as presenting a configuration in which cooling of the electrodes is viable for practical applications. Time-of-flight measurements were used in combination with energy deposition measurements and high-speed OH*-chemiluminescence imagery to investigate the flame acceleration process. For stoichiometric hydrogen–air flames, successful transition to detonation was achieved by applying a burst of 110 pulses at 100 kHz, with energies as low as 10 mJ per pulse. This was also achieved when plasma discharges were applied in the vicinity of the wall. Two enhancement mechanisms for flame acceleration were identified. The essential role of shock–flame interaction was established as being the main mechanism for flame acceleration when the discharges are located near the wall. This work presents an effective alternative that allows for NRP discharges to be applied near the wall while successfully maintaining a promising success rate for detonation transition.