Cell-like structure of unstable oblique detonation wave from high-resolution numerical simulation

A comprehensive numerical study was carried out to investigate the unsteady cell-like structures of oblique detonation waves (ODWs) for a fixed Mach 7 inlet flow over a wedge of 30° turning angle. The effects of grid resolution and activation energy were examined systematically at a dimensionless heat addition of 10. The ODW front remains stable for a low activation energy regardless of grid resolution, but becomes unstable for a high activation energy featuring a cell-like wave front structure. Similar to the situation with an ordinary normal detonation wave (NDW), a continuous increase in the activation energy eventually causes the wave-front oscillation to transit from a regular to an irregular pattern. The wave structure of an unstable ODW, however, differs considerably from that of a NDW. Under the present flow condition, triple points and transverse waves propagate downstream, and the numerical smoke-foil record exhibits traces of triple points that rarely intersect with each other. Several instability-driving mechanisms were conjectured from the highly refined results. Since the reaction front behind a shock wave can be easily destabilized by disturbance inherent in the flowfield, the ODW front becomes unstable and displays cell-like structures due to the local pressure oscillations and/or the reflected shock waves originating from the triple points. The combined effects of various instability sources give rise to a highly unstable and complex flow structure behind an unstable ODW front.     

Numerical simulations of pulsating detonations: II. Piston initiated detonations

Extremely long time, high-resolution one-dimensional numerical simulations are performed in order to investigate the evolution of pulsating detonations initiated and driven by a constant velocity piston, or equivalently by shock reflection from a stationary wall. The results are compared and contrasted to previous simulations where the calculations are initiated by placing a steady detonation on the numerical grid. The motion of the piston eventually produces a highly overdriven detonation propagating into the quiescent fuel. The detonation subsequently decays in a quasi-steady manner towards the steady state corresponding to the given piston speed. For cases where the steady state is one-dimensionally unstable, the shock pressure begins to oscillate with a growing amplitude once the detonation speed drops below a stability boundary. However, the overdrive is still being degraded by a rarefaction which overtakes the front, but on a time-scale which is very long compared with both the reaction time and the period of oscillation. As the overdrive decreases, the detonation becomes more unstable as it propagates and the nature (e.g. period and amplitude) of the oscillations change with time. If the steady detonation is very unstable then the oscillations evolve in time from limit cycle to period doubled oscillations and finally to irregular oscillations. The ultimate nature of the oscillations asymptotically approaches that of the saturated nonlinear behaviour as found from calculations initiated by the steady state. However, the nonlinear stability of the steady detonation investigated in previous calculations represents only the very late time (O(10⁵) characteristic reaction times) behaviour of the piston problem.     

Experimental characterization of RDE combustor flowfield using linear channel

An experimental study was conducted to characterize fundamental behavior of detonation waves propagating across an array of reactant jets inside a narrow channel, which simulated an unwrapped rotating detonation engine (RDE) configuration. Several key flow features in an ethylene-oxygen combustor were explored by sending detonation waves across reactant jets entering into cold bounding gas as well as hot combustion products. In this setup, ethylene and oxygen were injected separately into each recessed injector tube, while a total of 15 injectors were used to establish a partially premixed reactant jet array. The results revealed various details of transient flowfield, including a complex detonation wave front leading a curved oblique shock wave, the unsteady production of transverse waves at the edge of the reactant jets, and the onset of suppressed reactant jets re-entering the combustor following a detonation wave passage. The visualization images showed a complex, multidimensional, and highly irregular detonation wave front. It appeared non-uniform mixing of reactant jets lead to dynamic transverse wave structure. The refreshed reactant jets evolving in the wake of the detonation wave were severely distorted, indicating the effect of dynamic flowfield and rapid pressure change. The results suggest that the mixing between the fuel and oxidizer, as well as the mixing between the fresh reactants and the background products, should affect the stability of the RDE combustor processes.     

Cell structure and stability of detonations with a pressure-dependent chain-branching reaction rate model

We examine detonation waves with a four-step chain-branching reaction model that exhibits explosion limits close to the two lower limits of hydrogen–oxygen chemistry. The reaction model consists of a chain-initiation step and a chain-branching step, both temperature-dependent with Arrhenius kinetics, followed by two pressure-dependent termination steps. Increasing the chain-branching activation energy or the overdrive shortens the reaction length in the ZND wavelength and leads to more unstable detonations, according to multi-dimensional linear stability analysis. Corresponding numerical simulations show that detonations with weak chain-branching reactions have a wave structure similar to those with a single-step reaction; strong chain-branching detonations show distinct keystone features. Keystone regions are bounded by a discontinuity in reactivity across the shear layers emanating from the triple points at the intersection of the transverse waves and the main front. Especially in the strong case, chain-branching occurs within a thin front at the back side of the keystone figure, or immediately behind Mach stems.     

Detonation simulations in supersonic flow under circumstances of injection and mixing

The unsteady, reactive Navier-Stokes equations with a detailed chemical mechanism of 11 species and 27 steps were employed to simulate the mixing, flame acceleration and deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) triggered by transverse jet obstacles. Results show that multiple transverse jet obstacles ejecting into the chamber can be used to activate DDT. But the occurrence of DDT is tremendously difficult in a non-uniform supersonic mixture so that it required several groups of transverse jets with increasing stagnation pressure. The jets introduce flow turbulence and produce oblique and bow shock waves even in an inhomogeneous supersonic mixture. The DDT is enhanced by multiple explosion points that are generated by the intense shock wave focusing of the leading flame front. It is found that the partial detonation front decouples into shock and flame, which is mainly caused by the fuel deficiency, nevertheless the decoupled shock wave is strong enough to reignite the mixture to detonation conditions. The resulting transverse wave leads to further mixing and burning of the downstream non-equilibrium chemical reaction, resulting in a high combustion temperature and intense flow instabilities. Additionally, the longitudinal and transverse gradients of the non-uniform supersonic mixture induce highly dynamic behaviors with sudden propagation speed increase and detonation front instabilities.     

The re-initiation of cellular detonations downstream of an inert layer

The current work aims to examine how the nature of cellular instabilities controls the re-initiation capability and dynamics of a gaseous detonation transmitting across a layer of inert (or non-detonable) gases. This canonical problem is tackled via computational analysis based on the two-dimensional, reactive Euler equations. Two different chemical kinetic models were used, a simplified two-step induction-reaction model and a detailed model for hydrogen-air. For the two-step model, cases with relatively high and low activation energies, representing highly and weakly unstable cellular detonations, respectively, are considered. For the weakly unstable case, two distinct types of re-initiation mechanisms were observed. (1) For thin inert layers, at the exit of the layer the detonation wave front has not fully decayed and thus the transverse waves are still relatively strong. Detonation re-initiation in the reactive gas downstream of the inert layer occurs at the gas compressed by the collision of the transverse waves, and thus is referred to as a cellular-instability-controlled re-initiation. (2) If an inert layer is sufficiently thick, the detonation wave front has fully decayed to a planar shock when it exits the inert layer, and re-initiation still occurs downstream as a result of planar shock compression only, which is thus referred to as a planar-shock-induced re-initiation. Between these two regimes there is a transition region where the wave front is not yet fully planar, and thus perturbations by the transverse waves still play a role in the re-initiation. For the highly unstable case, re-initiation only occurs via the cellular-instability-controlled mechanisms below a critical thickness of the inert layer. Additional simulations considering detailed chemical kinetics demonstrate that the critical re-initiation behaviors of an unstable stoichiometric mixture of hydrogen-air at 1 atm and 295 K are consistent with the finding from the two-step kinetic model for a highly unstable reactive mixture.     

Multilevel detonation cell structures in methane-air mixtures

High-resolution numerical simulations of two-dimensional detonations in a methane-air mixture with extremely high activation energy show the formation of multiple levels of cellular structures caused by the propagation of triple-shock configurations. Two main types of these configurations were observed based on the structure of transverse waves behind the leading edge of the detonation. Collisions were observed between two triple-shock configurations with attached transverse detonations, two triple-shock configurations with inert transverse waves, and one of each of these types. These collisions give rise to the formation of highly irregular, and, in some cases incomplete, cells. Smoke foils obtained from detonation of a near-stoichiometric mixture of natural gas and air show similar results. Estimates of the width of the experimental cells qualitatively match those inferred from the calculations.     

一维爆轰波在扰动来流中传播的数值研究

爆轰波在静止气体或定常来流中的传播得到了广泛研究, 然而在扰动来流中的传播研究较少。这方面的研究不仅是爆轰传播机制的重要组成部分, 还可为爆轰发动机的应用提供参考。文章基于两步诱导-放热总包反应模型, 开展了一维爆轰波在正弦密度扰动来流中的传播数值模拟。通过对数值结果分析, 获得了放热反应控制参数与爆轰波内在不稳定性的关系, 并在此基础上研究了扰动波长和幅值对一维爆轰波动力学过程的影响。研究发现, 在波前施加连续扰动会诱导爆轰波表现出更复杂的动力学行为, 且影响过程与爆轰波的内在不稳定性相关。对于稳定爆轰波, 扰动只在特定波长范围内引起前导激波后的压力振荡。对于不稳定爆轰波, 扰动会进一步强化其内在不稳定性。扰动幅值越大, 对爆轰波动力学过程的影响越显著。      

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.     

Numerical resolution of pulsating detonation waves

The canonical problem of the one-dimensional, pulsating, overdriven detonation wave has been studied for over 30 years, not only for its phenomenological relation to the evolution of multidimensional detonation instabilities, but also to provide a robust, reactive, high-speed flowfield with which to test numerical schemes. The present study examines this flowfield using high-order, essentially non-oscillatory schemes, systematically varying the level of resolution of the reaction zone, the size and retention of information in the computational domain, the initial conditions, and the order of the scheme. It is found that there can be profound differences in peak pressures as well as in the period of oscillation, not only for cases in which the reaction front is under-resolved, but for cases in which the computation is corrupted due to a too-small computational domain. Methods for estimating the required size of the computational domain to reduce costs while avoiding erroneous solutions are proposed and tested.     

Three-dimensional detonation structure and its response to confinement

Three-dimensional (3D) detonation simulations solving the compressible Navier-Stokes equations with detailed chemistry are performed in both square channel and round tube geometries. The simulations are compared with each other and with two-dimensional (2D) channel simulations and round tube experiments of identical mixture and conditions (stoichiometric hydrogen-oxygen with 3000 PPMv ozone at 300 K and 15 kPa) with the goal of understanding the effect of confinement and boundaries on detonation structure. Results show that 3D detonations propagate with highly inhomogeneous blast dynamics, where blasts emerge not only from intersections of two transverse waves (similar to 2D propagation) but also from intersections of many transverse waves (unique to 3D detonations in the confinements tested). Intersections of many transverse waves lead to extreme thermodynamic states and highly overdriven wave velocities, well in excess of those seen in the ZND model and in 2D simulations. 3D simulations in the square tube show highly regular blast latticing, smaller detonation cells, and highly oscillatory velocities when compared to the round tube simulations. Round tube simulations show more spatially non-uniform blast dynamics. The conclusions reached in the current work are found irrespective of numerical grid resolution.     

Structural characteristics of detonation expansion from a small channel to a larger one

We report on numerical simulations of the evolution of two-dimensional detonation waves that are expanded from a small channel to a larger one. In accordance with experimental data, the simulations predict three different types of evolution, namely, supercritical, critical and subcritical detonations. In a supercritical detonation, the reaction zone remains always attached to the precursor shock, whereas in a critical one it temporarily detaches and then re-attaches to the front. In the subcritical type, the extinction is permanent, i.e., the detonation quenches. The effects of the fuel’s activation energy and the channel-width ratio are studied via a parametric study. It is found that sufficiently large values of these two parameters can result to flows of the critical and even the subcritical type. Finally, three-dimensional simulations have also been performed and are briefly discussed herein.     

Effect of Cellular Instability on the Initiation of Cylindrical Detonations

The direct initiation of detonations in one-dimensional(1 D) and two-dimensional(2 D) cylindrical geometries is investigated through numerical simulations. In comparison of 1 D and 2 D simulations, it is found that cellular instability has a negative effect on the 2 D initiation and makes it more difficult to initiate a sustaining 2 D cylindrical detonation. This effect associates closely with the activation energy. For the lower activation energy,the 2 D initiation of cylindrical detonations can be achieved through a subcritical initiation way. With increasing the activation energy; the 2 D cylindrical detonation has increased difficulty in its initiation due to the presence of unreacted pockets behind the detonation front and usually requires rather larger source energy.     

A review of direct numerical simulations of astrophysical detonations and their implications

Multi-dimensional direct numerical simulations (DNS) of astrophysical detonations in degenerate matter have revealed that the nuclear burning is typically characterized by cellular structure caused by transverse instabilities in the detonation front. Type Ia supernova modelers often use onedimensional DNS of detonations as inputs or constraints for their whole star simulations.While these one-dimensional studies are useful tools, the true nature of the detonation is multi-dimensional. The multi-dimensional structure of the burning influences the speed, stability, and the composition of the detonation and its burning products, and therefore, could have an impact on the spectra of Type Ia supernovae. Considerable effort has been expended modeling Type Ia supernovae at densities above 1×10⁷ g·cm^-3 where the complexities of turbulent burning dominate the flame propagation. However, most full star models turn the nuclear burning schemes off when the density falls below 1×10⁷ g·cm^-3 and distributed burning begins. The deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) is believed to occur at just these densities and consequently they are the densities important for studying the properties of the subsequent detonation. This work will review the status of DNS studies of detonations and their possible implications for Type Ia supernova models. It will cover the development of Detonation theory from the first simple Chapman–Jouguet (CJ) detonation models to the current models based on the time-dependent, compressible, reactive flow Euler equations of fluid dynamics.     

Recovery and suppression of the detonation of hydrogen-air mixtures at an obstacle with orifices

A numerical simulation of the interaction of detonation waves with an obstacle having orifices and an analysis of the results were performed. The calculations were conducted using the 3D GasDynamicTool code for a model gas with parameters of detonation corresponding to a hydrogen-air stoichiometric mixture under normal conditions. Within the framework of the assumptions made, it was shown that, upon interaction with a perforated partition, a detonation wave experiences disintegration accompanied by the formation of unsteady jets of detonation products, with each one being preceded by a shock wave. The simulations demonstrated that the reinitiation of detonation downstream from the partition is determined by the dynamics of the ignition caused by the interaction between the converging shock waves formed ahead of the jets outflowing from neighboring orifices.     

Numerical investigation on propagation mechanism of spinning detonation in a circular tube

Spinning detonations propagating in a circular tube were numerically investigated with a one-step irreversible reaction model governed by Arrhenius kinetics. The time evolution of the simulation results was utilized to reveal the propagation mechanism of single-headed spinning detonation. The track angle of soot record on the tube wall was numerically reproduced with various levels of activation energy, and the simulated unique angle was the same as that of the previous reports. The maximum pressure histories of the shock front on the tube wall showed stable and unstable pitch modes for the lower and higher activation energies, respectively. The shock front shapes and the pressure profiles on the tube wall clarified the mechanisms of two modes. The maximum pressure history in the stable pitch remained nearly constant, and the single Mach leg existing on the shock front rotated at a constant speed. The high and low frequency pressure oscillations appeared in the unstable pitch due to the generation and decay of complex Mach interaction on the shock front shape. The high-frequency oscillation was self-induced because the intensity of the transverse wave was changed during propagation in one cycle. The high-frequency behavior was not always the same for each cycle, and therefore the low frequency oscillation was also induced in the pressure history.     

Nonlinear dynamics and chaos analysis of one-dimensional pulsating detonations

To understand the nonlinear dynamical behaviour of a one-dimensional pulsating detonation, results obtained from numerical simulations of the Euler equations with simple one-step Arrhenius kinetics are analysed using basic nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory. To illustrate the transition pattern from a simple harmonic limit-cycle to a more complex irregular oscillation, a bifurcation diagram is constructed from the computational results. Evidence suggests that the route to higher instability modes may follow closely the Feigenbaum scenario of a period-doubling cascade observed in many generic nonlinear systems. Analysis of the one-dimensional pulsating detonation shows that the Feigenbaum number, defined as the ratio of intervals between successive bifurcations, appears to be in reasonable agreement with the universal value of d = 4.669. Using the concept of the largest Lyapunov exponent, the existence of chaos in a one-dimensional unsteady detonation is demonstrated.     

Self-sustaining, weakly curved, imploding pathological detonation

We provide the first theoretical demonstration of the existence of quasi-one-dimensional, quasi-steady, self-sustaining convergent detonation waves. These occur in systems where, in the planar wave, the rate of heat release by chemical reaction reaches a maximum at a point of incomplete reaction. The case examined in the present paper is that for a two-step sequential reaction, with the second stage endothermic. We construct detonation velocity against curvature relationships for converging waves, and compare these theoretical curves with direct numerical simulations of imploding detonations in cylindrical and spherical geometries. We also comment on the one-dimensional stability of imploding and diverging detonation fronts governed by the two-step model.     

Mach reflection bifurcations as a mechanism of cell multiplication in gaseous detonations

Detonation waves in gases are unstable and form cellular structures. The cellular structure can range from being very regular, to very irregular, where new modes are continuously formed on the front of the detonation wave. The present work addresses the mechanism of new cell formation in irregular structure detonations. Using idealized one-step chemistry calculations on sufficiently wide domains, as to avoid mode-locking, the present work reveals a novel mechanism for new mode formation in cellular detonations. The mechanism involves the creation of wave bifurcations on the front of the Mach shock following triple shock collisions. The numerical simulations reveal that these new triple points, through further reflections with pre-existing modes in asymmetric cells, can give rise to cell multiplication. Parameters favourable to this mechanism were found in good correlation with parameters leading to irregular cellular structures, as observed in previous experiments.     

Numerical study of three-dimensional detonation wave dynamics in a circular tube

The three-dimensional structures of a detonation wave propagating in a circular tube were investigated using a one-step irreversible Arrhenius kinetics model. A series of parametric studies were carried out to investigate the different modes of cell structure formation by changing the pre-exponential factor. Maximum pressure trace was recorded along the tube wall to investigate the detonation cell structures. The unsteady results obtained in three dimensions revealed the generation mechanism of the wave front structures of two-, three- and four-cell mode detonations. A six-cell mode detonation could be obtained using a finer grid. With the increase in pre-exponential factor, it was found that the number of detonation cells is increased while the cell size is reduced accordingly. In all the multi-cell modes, the detonation wave structures and smoked-foil records on the wall are formed by the propagation of transverse waves along the wall in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions, while the slapping wave moves in the radial direction. The presence of the slapping wave further strengthens the wave interactions in three-dimensional simulation. Comparison with two-dimensional simulation confirms the effect of the slapping wave in the radial direction. As a result, the detonation wave front structures changes from the polygonal shape to the multi-bladed fan shape, periodically.