Ignition of liquid and dust fuel layers by gaseous detonation

Abstract. Ignition of a liquid layer and dust fuel layer by a detonation wave propagating in hydrogen-oxygen and acetylene-oxygen mixtures is reported. Experiments were carried out using a shock tube equipped with optical-quality observation windows. A schlieren system and a high-speed camera were used for measurements of ignition delay. Pressure transducers provided data necessary for measurements of the detonation wave velocity and pressure variation within the front of the interacted detonation wave and fuel layer. Kerosene, nitroglycerin and PETN were used as fuels. Investigation shows that the layer of liquid fuel can be efficiently ignited by detonation wave. It was found that the ignition delay of the fuel layer depends mostly on the detonation wave velocity and sensitivity of igniting fuels, and slightly on the layer thickness. Received 12 August 2001 / Accepted 1 July 2002 Published online 4 February 2003 Correspondence to: P. Wolanski (e-mail: wolanski@itc.pw.edu.pl) An abridged version of this paper was presented at the 18th Int. Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems at Seattle, USA, from July 29 to August 3, 2001     

调控燃烧室燃料初始分布建立稳定旋转爆轰波的方法

旋转爆轰发动机具有比传统航空航天发动机更高的燃烧效率,近年来引起人们的关注。其中,点火启动过程尤为重要。为达到一次点火就能在燃烧室内建立稳定旋转爆轰波的目的,本文提出通过控制点火前燃料初始分布来建立稳定旋转爆轰波的方法,并基于纳维-斯托克斯方程与10组分27可逆反应基元化学反应模型的数值模拟验证了该方法的可行性。对旋转爆轰波传播特性的研究表明,燃料在发动机燃烧室中的分布是影响旋转爆轰波建立的关键。在燃料喷注压力较低时此影响尤为明显,它决定了爆轰波发展第一周期内波前燃料层厚度。而波前燃料层与波的稳定传播密切相关。基于该方法,本文对燃烧室初始流速为360 m/s,喷注总压0.4 MPa的旋转爆轰发动机实现了点火至稳定爆轰,得到的爆轰波传播平均速度为1 604 m/s,频率为5 347.6 Hz。此外,燃料初始填充率作为燃料初始分布的量化指标,文中给出了它建立稳定旋转爆轰时的临界范围。     

Visualization of turbulent combustion of TNT detonation products in a steel vessel

Mixing and afterburning of TNT detonation products in a steel vessel are recorded by the use of the Schlieren visualization system and high speed photography. The vessel is filled with air or 50% oxygen enriched air. Overpressure histories at the vessel wall are also recorded by using pressure transducers. In these experiments nitrogen, air or 50% oxygen enriched air are used as vessel fillers. The Oppenheim-Kuhl theory of thermodynamics of closed systems is applied to estimate the released energy on the basis of pressure histories. Received 29 August 1999 / Accepted 21 January 2000     

多元混合燃料一次引爆实验研究

为了提高多元混合燃料的爆炸威力，采用光测和电测方法，进行了小药量无约束空间三组元固态混合燃料的野外一次引爆实验，得到了该装置条件下较优的燃料配比．实验结果表明，该多元固态混合燃料的云雾分散效果明显优于相同质量的TNT，其爆炸场超压呈衰减-增长-再衰减的变化规律，且具有非常相似的压力场分布、适当增加弹体密度可增强这种固态燃料混合物的爆炸威力。     

Measurement and imaging of supersonic combustion in a model scramjet engine

Results of tests performed in a free-piston shock tunnel on a model scramjet engine are presented. Two conditions which differed in Mach number were tested. Flow at the lower Mach number condition was achieved using a variable-angle diffuser. Shadowgraph images and floor static pressure measurements were obtained, the latter used as the basis of a finite-difference calculation of flow properties in the scramjet. Received 9 May 1998 / Accepted 30 September 1998     

Transverse and parallel injection of hydrogen with supersonic combustion in a shock tunnel

An experimental comparison has been made of the combustion induced pressure rise in a constant area duct when hydrogen is injected transverse to the flow by using a surface orifice, and when it is injected parallel to the flow by using a central injection strut. The experiments were conducted in a shock tunnel at a flow Mach number of 4.2 and stagnation enthalpies of 5.6, 6.5 and 8.9 MJ kg. Both room temperature and heated hydrogen were injected, and a method of heating the hydrogen by compression in a gun tunnel which was slaved to the shock tunnel is described. It was found that, for both unheated and heated hydrogen, the combustion pressure rise was not measurably dependent on the method of introducing the hydrogen, not withstanding the complicated shock related flow pattern arising from transverse injection. Received August 14, 1995 / Accepted February 14, 1996     

Ignition and detonation of solid explosives: a micromechanical burn model

This paper describes a new computational framework for modeling splid explosives and proof-of-concept calculations. Our goal is to expand predictive model capability through the inclusion of various micro-mechanical burn processes. We propose a model which is complicated enough to represent underlying physics, but simple enough for engineering scale computations. Key components of the model include energy localization, the growth of hot spots, micro-mechanics in/around hot spots, and a phase-averaged mixture equation of state. The nucleation and growth of locally heated regions is treated by a statistical model based on an exponential size distribution. Proof-of-concept calculations are limited to shock loading, but show the capability of simulating Pop-plots, initial temperature effect, detonation waves in 2D, detonation shock confinement test, and multi-dimensional effects in a unified fashion based on micro-physics.

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航空油料在舱室内燃爆危害的数值分析

不同舱室结构内航空油料的燃爆参数存在差异,为了解和掌握不同结构舱室内航空油料的燃爆危害性,运用计算流体动力学（computational fluid dynamics,CFD）方法对不同结构航空油料舱室内的航空油料蒸汽燃爆问题进行了数值模拟。结果表明：密闭航空油料舱中的航空油料蒸汽预混燃爆时,油舱各处压力分布较均匀,无隔板密闭舱室和含不完全分割隔板密闭舱室内航空油料的最大燃爆压力分别为0.76、0.74 MPa,即舱室内的不完全分割隔板对航空油料燃爆时所产生的最大压力无显著影响;隔板等特殊结构的存在使舱室内部产生了气流漩涡,增大了燃料消耗的速率,导致火焰面传播速度及压力上升速率增大,舱室内各处燃料的质量分数由火焰面决定。

     

Experimental and numerical studies on transmission of gaseous detonation to a less sensitive mixture

A phenomenon of detonation transmission from one gaseous mixture (donor) to another of lower sensitivity (acceptor) was studied experimentally and numerically. The objective was to study effects of a donor mixture length and acceptor mixture sensitivity on the possibility of detonation transmission. Experiments were carried out in detonation tube 9.5–12 m long and 174 mm id. Three types of donor mixtures were used in the driver: stoichiometric acetylene/air, stoichiometric hydrogen/air, and 20% of hydrogen/air. Air mixtures with 14–29.6% of hydrogen were used as acceptors. Driver length varied from 0.17 to 5.6 m. Detonation transmission was studied for an abrupt opening of interface between two mixtures. Series of 1D and 2D calculations were made to simulate the problem numerically. Both, results of experiments and calculations revealed a set of parameters that effect transmission process. Critical conditions were determined as minimum driver length expressed in terms of characteristic chemical reaction length scales of acceptor mixture. They were shown to depend on differences in reaction rates and energy contents of donor and acceptor mixture. Received 6 January 1997 / Accepted 20 March 1997     

Heat and mass transfer of a fuel droplet evaporating in oscillatory flow

A numerical study of the heat and mass transfer from an evaporating fuel droplet in oscillatory flow was performed. The flow was assumed to be laminar and axisymmetric, and the droplet was assumed to maintain its spherical shape during its lifetime. Based on these assumptions, the conservation equations in a general curvilinear coordinate were solved numerically. The behaviors of droplet evaporation in the oscillatory flow were investigated by analyzing the effects of flow oscillation on the evaporation process of a n-heptane fuel droplet at high pressure.The response of the time history of the square of droplet diameter and space-averaged Nusselt numbers to the main flow oscillation were investigated in frequency band of 1–75 Hz with various oscillation amplitudes. Results showed that, depending on the frequency and amplitude of the oscillation, there are different modes of response of the evaporation process to the flow oscillation. One response mode is synchronous with the main flow oscillation, and thus the quasi-steady condition is attained. Another mode is asynchronous with the flow oscillation and is highly unsteady. As for the evaporation rate, however, in all conditions is more greatly enhanced in oscillatory flow than in quiescent air.To quantify the conditions of the transition from quasi-steady to unsteady, the response of the boundary layer around the droplet surface to the flow oscillation was investigated. The results led to including the oscillation Strouhal number as a criteria for the transition. The numerical results showed that at a low Strouhal number, a quasi-steady boundary layer is formed in response to the flow oscillation, whereas by increasing the oscillation Strouhal number, the phenomena become unsteady.     

Numerical study on supersonic mixing and combustion with hydrogen injection upstream of a cavity flameholder

Characteristics of supersonic mixing and combustion with hydrogen injection upstream of a cavity flameholder are investigated numerically using hybrid RANS/LES (Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes/Large-Eddy Simulation) method. Two types of inflow boundary layer are considered. One is a laminar-like boundary layer with inflow thickness of $\delta_{\inf } = 0.0$ and the other is a turbulent boundary layer with inflow thickness of $\delta_{\inf } = 2.5\,{\text{mm}}$ . The hybrid RANS/LES method acts as a DES (Detached Eddy Simulation) model for the laminar-like inflow condition and a wall-modeled LES for the turbulent inflow condition where the recycling/rescaling method is adopted. Although the turbulent inflow seems to have just minor influences on the supersonic cavity flow without fuel injection, its effects on the mixing and combustion processes are great. It is found that the unsteady turbulent structures in upstream incoming boundary layer interact with the injection jet, resulting in fluctuations of the upstream recirculation region and bow shock, and induce quick dispersion of the hydrogen fuel jet, which enhances the mixing as well as subsequent combustion.     

Comparison of multicomponent fuel droplet vaporization experiments in forced convection with the Sirignano model

The vaporization of multicomponent fuel droplets was studied experimentally in a heated flow and the results were compared to the model proposed by Abramzon and Sirignano. The droplet was suspended on a permanent holder which was set up in a thermal wind-tunnel. This wind-tunnel was fitted with a video recording system and an infra-red camera. The period during which the droplet was suspended on the holder before the opening of the hot air flow damper was recorded. This first sequence corresponds to the droplet vaporization in natural convection, whose initial experiment conditions, especially diameter, temperature, composition of the droplet, are well known. Then the damper was turn on, and the sequence of forced convection begun. The initial diameter of the droplet was recorded by the video system. The other initial conditions of this second sequence cannot be determined experimentally. The distribution of temperature in the droplet and the surface temperature, the mass fraction distribution in the droplet and the surface mass fraction were unknown. These unknown parameters were determined by coupling our experiment with a model using “the film concept” in natural convection. Experimental results were compared with the calculations and found satisfactory, in natural convection as well as in forced convection initiated by this method. The method was tested in the case of a fuel mixture droplets (heptane–decane) for different initial concentrations and variable durations of the sequence in natural convection.     

Effects of nitrates on hydrocarbon-air flames and detonations

Abstract. The subject of hydrocarbon sensitization by nitrates under conditions of a heterogeneous spray has been of interest due to its applicability in promoting ignition. To gain insight into the mechanisms of the nitrate sensitization effect, the present work was limited to vapour phase studies at elevated temperatures in order to avoid the influence of heterogeneous factors. The experiments performed included studies of flammability, flame propagation, shock ignition and detonation. The mixtures used were composed of air, hexane, and isopropyl nitrate (IPN) with IPN concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 mole % in hydrocarbon-IPN. In addition, methane and propane were also included in the flame experiments. For the shock ignition and detonation experiments, the measured ignition delay and detonation cell size had minimum values for IPN-air and maximum values for hexane-air. With increases in the IPN concentration, the ignition delay and detonation cell size fell monotonically between the values for hexane and IPN. This monotonic behaviour was explained to be the result of mixing the hydrocarbon with the more sensitive nitrate whose energetics are larger than or comparable to the hydrocarbon when mixed with air. For the slow combustion mode, the results also confirmed the monotonic behavior and showed that the lean flammability limit and the flame velocity fell between those of the hydrocarbon and IPN. Received 10 September 1999 / Accepted 27 July 2000     

An experimental study of the combustion characteristics in SCCI and CAI based on direct-injection gasoline engine

Emissions remain a critical issue affecting engine design and operation, while energy conservation is becoming increasingly important. One approach to favorably address these issues is to achieve homogeneous charge combustion and stratified charge combustion at lower peak temperatures with a variable compression ratio, a variable intake temperature and a trapped rate of the EGR using NVO (negative valve overlap). This experiment was attempted to investigate the origins of these lower temperature auto-ignition phenomena with SCCI and CAI using gasoline fuel. In case of SCCI, the combustion and emission characteristics of gasoline-fueled stratified-charge compression ignition (SCCI) engine according to intake temperature and compression ratio was examined. We investigated the effects of air–fuel ratio, residual EGR rate and injection timing on the CAI combustion area. In addition, the effect of injection timing on combustion factors such as the start of combustion, its duration and its heat release rate was also investigated.     

Hydrogen detonation and fast deflagration triggered by a turbulent jet of combustion products

Initiation of detonation by a turbulent jet of combustion products has been studied in a detonation tube of 141 mm inner diameter. Jet formation techniques based on either a perforated plate or bursting membrane subjected to the impact of a stable detonation wave were utilized. Critical conditions of detonation initiation in hydrogen–air and hydrogen–oxygen–nitrogen mixtures have been found to depend on both the mixture sensitivity and the geometrical parameters of the arrangement. PACS 47.70.Fw; 82.33.Vx; 82.40.Fp This paper was based on work that was presented at the 19th Inter-national Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems, Hakone, Japan, July 27 - August 1, 2003     

A random simulation of droplet distribution in nozzle and plume flows

A simple entrainment model is used to estimate droplet streamlines, velocity and mass flux in rocket exhaust plumes. Since droplet mass flux constitutes only about 1% of the exhaust mass flux, the effect of droplet entrainment on the gas flow is neglected. The novelty of the present model is in obtaining the droplet distribution within the nozzle by assuming a small radial random velocity component for droplets at the throat. Gas flow in the nozzle is approximated as isentropic plus a correction for the boundary layer. The computed distribution of droplet mass flux is found to be in good agreement with experimental data. Received 15 January 1996 / Accepted 11 September 1996     

Detonation in heterogeneous mixtures of liquids and particles

The mechanisms of detonation propagation in heterogeneous systems comprising closely packed particles and a liquid explosive are not fully understood. Recent experimental work has suggested the presence of two distinct modes of detonation propagation. One mode is valid for small particles (which is the regime we will address in this paper) with another mode for large particles. In this work we model numerically the detail of the wave interactions between the detonating liquid and the solid particles. The generic system of interest in our work is nitromethane and aluminium but our methodology can be applied to other liquids and particles. We have exercised our numerical models on the experiments described above. Our models can now qualitatively explain the observed variation in critical diameter with particle size. We also report some initial discrepancies in our predictions of wave speeds in nominally one dimensional experiments which can be explained by detailed modelling. We find that the complex wave interaction in the flow behind the leading shock in the detonating system of liquid and particles is characterised by at least two sonic points. The first is the standard CJ point in the reacting liquid. The second is a sonic point with respect to the sound speed in the inert material. This leads to a steady state zone in the flow behind the leading shock which is much longer than the reaction zone in the liquid alone. The width of this region scales linearly with particle size. Since the width of the subsonic region strongly influences the failure diameter we believe that this property of the flow is the origin of the observed increase in failure diameter with particle size for small inert particles. Received 3 December 1999 / Accepted 5 July 2000     

Stabilization of detonation combustion in a high-velocity flow of a hydrogen-oxygen mixture

The flow of a hydrogen-oxygen mixture diluted with argon in a supersonic axisymmetric nozzle consisting of an inlet cylinder, a convergent region, a cylindrical throat, and a divergent region is considered. The supersonic flow enters the channel along the axis of symmetry. The flow structure is calculated with allowance for hydrogen ignition. A possibility of stabilizing the combustion zone is studied and the forces acting on the nozzle from the flow are determined. The problem is solved in the two-dimensional approximation with account for detailed combustion kinetics.     

Flow patterns and mixing characteristics of gaseous fuel multiple injections in a non-reacting supersonic combustor

Using the particle-based laser scattering imaging technique, schlieren system and surface oil-flow visualization technique, the flow patterns and mixing characteristics of multiple injections with tandem multi-orifices and parallel multi-orifices in a supersonic vitiated air flow were investigated in this paper. All injectors have a declined angle of 30 degree to the freestream direction. The distance between the tandem orifices and that between the parallel orifices was varied. The experimental results showed that decreasing the distance between the tandem orifices will reduce the pressure and velocity of the stream upstream of the second jet, which results in the increase of the penetration height of the second injection and quick mixing of the whole field. For the small distance between the parallel multi-orifices, the bow shock waves upstream of the injected jets connect with each other and the air stream entered into the gap between the jets is not enough, resulting in the decrease of the mixing effect. Large distance between the parallel multi-orifices decreases the interaction between the injection jets. For the mixing enhancement, there should be a proper optimized distance between the parallel injection orifices.