A study on jet initiation of detonation using multiple tubes

A detonator consisting of a dense bundle of small-diameter tubes (4.4–19 mm) is tested experimentally using stoichiometric mixtures of hydrogen–oxygen and hydrogen–air. Tests are conducted in a 5,200-mm long detonation tube fitted with a schlieren photograph section and smoked foil to record the deflagration to detonation (DDT) transition. It is confirmed that the flame jet emanating from the tube assembly causes detonation initiation immediately downstream of the detonator, with little dependence on the size of the detonation tube. For the fuel–air mixture, the insertion of Shchelkin spirals into each of the smaller tubes enhances the development of the turbulent flame jet, leading to a shorter DDT distance. Multi-point spark ignition is also shown to provide a further reduction in the DDT distance compared to single-point ignition. PACS 47.40.-x; 47.40.Nm; 47.70.Fw; 82.40.-g; 82.40.Fp     

A simple method to compute standard two-fluid models

We describe in this paper, a tool to compute approximate solutions of standard two-fluid models with an equilibrium pressure assumption. The basic approach takes its grounds in the two-fluid two-pressure formalism, and takes advantage of the relaxation techniques. The method may be used to compute either the single- or the two-pressure model, depending on the size of mesh, which is used. It is also shown on the basis of a simple numerical experiment that the local equilibrium assumption may lead to a blow-up of the numerical solution on fine meshes, even if one accounts for drag stabilizing effects.     

Three-dimensional parallel simulation of cornstarch-oxygen two-phase detonation

Numerical simulations were performed with a parallel computer to solve for the behavior of a three-dimensional gas-solid two-phase detonation. The numerical method is a second-order modified Harten-Yee TVD upwind scheme and time integration uses a first order Euler integration. A two-step chemical reaction model represents the reaction of cornstarch-particles and oxygen. The numerical results show that a periodic two-headed detonation appears with a three-dimensional propagation mechanism before and after a triple point collisions. A comparison between the numerical and experimental results reveals that the detonation velocity of numerical results agrees well with that of experimental results. Received 8 September 1999 / Accepted 7 May 2000     

Ignition and growth of a detonation by a high energy plasma

Many experimental and numerical studies have been achieved to describe the transition process of deflagration to detonation when a projectile impacts an explosive. Also a large work has been done for the determination of various parameters — such as the impact pressure, the efficiency factors, etc. of the laser — material interaction. When a laser beam impacts an explosive, the P² criterion, characteristic of shock initiated detonations, is no longer valid due to the generated hot plasma whose effect is to decrease the DDT (Deflagration to Detonation Transition) duration. The present paper deals with a modelling of the plasma-explosive medium allowing the determination of distances and times of the DDT process. The two phase modelling of the granular explosive takes into account the creation of hot spots. The pressure of the plasma is computed using a semi empirical model, while the temperature is obtained from Maxwell Boltzmann statistics. The authors focused their attention on the equation of state for the detonation products and the numerical process.     

Numerical investigation of transient nozzle flow

Abstract. The starting process of two-dimensional and axisymmetric nozzle flows has been investigated numerically. Special attention has been paid to the early phase of the starting process and to the appearance of a strong secondary shock wave. For both cases, shock intensities and velocities are obtained and discussed. The flow evolution in the axisymmetric case is proved to be more complex and the transient starting process is slower than in the plane case. Finally, the effects of changing the nozzle angle and the incident shock wave Mach number on the transient flow are addressed. It is shown that a faster start-up can be induced either by decreasing the nozzle angle or increasing the Mach number of the incident shock wave. Received 16 November 2001 / Accepted 24 September 2002 / Published online 4 December 2002 Correspondence to:A.-S. Mouronval (e-mail: mouronv@coria.fr)     

Experimental and numerical studies of the pressure field generated by DDT events

Results of experimental and numerical study of maximum pressures and impulses developed in closed vessel as a function of DDT location are presented. Experiments were carried out in the detonation tube with stoichiometric hydrogen-oxygen mixture diluted with nitrogen. The effect of two variables was investigated: distance between tube closed end and DDT origin, and the ratio of burned and unburned mixture volume prior to the DDT moment. It was found that impulse value is proportional to the total length of tube and does not depend significantly on DDT location. Results of numerical simulation are in good agreement with experimental data. Received March 10, 1995 / Accepted March 12, 1995     

Critical tube diameter for detonation transmission and critical initiation energy of spherical detonation

Two experimental setups are used to study propagation and attenuation of blast waves. In the first one, the blast wave is generated by a spherical detonation, and in the second one, the blast wave is created by the diffraction of a planar detonation propagating in a tube. The similarity of these phenomena appears clearly by means of dimensionless space-time and pressure-space diagrams of shock wave propagation. Dimensionless variables are expressed as a function of the supplied energy. Two energy formulations are proposed: a piston model and a bulk energy model. The established diagrams cover a wide range of industrial applications. Under critical conditions, the energy released by a planar detonation is correlated to the ignition source energy supply and a relationship which links the critical radius of detonation to the critical tube diameter. Received 5 July 1997 / Accepted 13 July 1998     

On the possibility of gasless detonation in condensed systems

The possibility of self-propagating gasless detonation in the mixtures normally used in self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) has been theoretically predicted. The necessary and sufficient condition for this process is a positive isobaric-isochoric reaction heat (or a positive volume decrement at constant pressure and enthalpy). Preliminary experimental evidence for the occurrence of this process has been obtained. An abridged version of this paper was presented at the 15th Int. Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems at Boulder, Colorado, from July 30 to August 4, 1995     

Pressure profiles in detonation cells with rectangular and diagonal structures

Experimental results presented in this work enable us to classify the three-dimensional structure of the detonation into two fundamental types: a rectangular structure and a diagonal structure. The rectangular structure is well documented in the literature and consists of orthogonal waves travelling independently from each another. The soot record in this case shows the classical diamond detonation cell exhibiting ‘slapping waves’. The experiments indicate that the diagonal structure is a structure with the triple point intersections moving along the diagonal line of the tube cross section. The axes of the transverse waves are canted at 45 degrees to the wall, accounting for the lack of slapping waves. It is possible to reproduce these diagonal structures by appropriately controlling the experimental ignition procedure. The characteristics of the diagonal structure show some similarities with detonation structure in round tube. Pressure measurements recorded along the central axis of the cellular structure show a series of pressure peaks, depending on the type of structure and the position inside the detonation cell. Pressure profiles measured for the whole length of the two types of detonation cells show that the intensity of the shock front is higher and the length of the detonation cell is shorter for the diagonal structures. Received 17 May 2000 / Accepted 29 November 2000     

多循环脉冲爆震发动机流场数值研究

针对二维带有收敛扩张喷管的脉冲爆震发动机模型，采用带基元化学反应的Euler方程组和H2、空气的9组分20基元反应，对发动机在前六个工作循环的流场进行了数值模拟。通过对前几个循环流场进行比较，发现脉冲爆震发动机在第五个循环后流场就基本稳定，单循环得到的流场和多循环稳定后的流场有很大的差别，同时喷管对发动机内流场影响特别大。     

A numerical study of two- and three-dimensional detonation dynamics of pulse detonation engine by the CE／SE method

In this paper, the CE/SE method is developed to simulate the two- and three-dimensional flow-field of Pulse Detonation Engine (PDE). The conservation equations with stiff source terms for chemical reaction are solved in two steps. The detailed analysis of computational results of a PDE with a single detonation tube and a PDE with five detonation tubes are given in this paper. Complex wave systems are observed inside and outside a PDE. For a PDE with 5 detonation tubes, there is a big bow shock produced from a number of little shocks near the open ends of tubes. A lot of vortexes interact with shocks and a large expansion wave propagates forward and backward with respect to the PDE in a semi-oval shape.The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (59906005), the Teaching and Research Award Program for Outstanding Young Teachers in High Education Institutions of MOE, China     

A double-front structure of detonation wave as the result of phase transitions

Using thermochemical code calculations, we show that the nanographite–nanodiamond phase transition, which may occur in the detonation products of a number of carbon containing explosives, can affect the detonation properties and can cause a specific detonation regime with some unusual peculiarities. Among them, we first note the failure of the Chapman–Jouguet condition and the presence of the sonic plane, where the Mach number is equal to unity, in a detonation product expansion wave at a lower pressure than that at the Chapman–Jouguet point. The peculiarities of this detonation regime are demonstrated by the example of TNT, HNS, and RDX. The computed detonation velocities are in excellent agreement with experiments over a wide range of initial charge densities for all of the investigated explosives. The results of this work allow one to explain, e.g., contradictory experimental data on the detonation pressure and on the length of the reaction zone for TNT. We believe that some other solid–solid, solid–liquid, and liquid–liquid phase transformations in the detonation products may also cause a detonation regime with the same features as shown here for the nanographite–nanodiamond transition. We suggest a computational study that should facilitate proposing detonation experiments strongly arguing in favor of the model presented. PACS 47.40.-x; 47.40.Rs; 64.70.-p; 64.70.Kb; 05.70.-a; 05.70-.CeThis paper was based on the work that was presented at the 19th International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems, Hakone, Japan, July 27–August 1, 2003.     

Investigation of the detonation regimes in gaseous mixtures with suspended starch particles

The existence of a secondary discontinuity at the rear of a detonation front shown in experiments by Peraldi and Veyssiere (1986) in stoichiometric hydrogen-oxygen mixtures with suspended 20-m starch particles has not been explained satisfactorily. Recently Veyssiere et al. (1997) analyzed these results using a one-dimensional (1-D) numerical model, and concluded that the heat release rate provided by the burning of starch particles in gaseous detonation products is too weak to support a double-front detonation (DFD), in contrast to the case of hybrid mixtures of hydrogen-air with suspended aluminium particles in which a double-front detonation structure was observed by Veyssiere (1986). A two-dimensional (2-D) numerical model was used in the present work to investigate abovementioned experimental results for hybrid mixtures with starch particles. The formation and propagation of the detonation has been examined in the geometry similar to the experimental tube of Peraldi and Veyssiere (1986), which has an area change after 2 m of propagation from the ignition point from a 69 mm dia. section to a 53 mm 53 mm square cross section corresponding to a 33% area contraction. It is shown that the detonation propagation regime in these experiments has a different nature from the double-front detonation observed in hybrid mixtures with aluminium particles. The detonation propagates as a pseudo-gas detonation (PGD) because starch particles release their heat downstream of the CJ plane giving rise to a non-stationary compression wave. The discontinuity wave at the rear of the detonation front is due to the interaction of the leading detonation front with the tube contraction, and is detected at the farthest pressure gauge location because the tube length is insufficient for the perturbation generated by the tube contraction to decay. Thus, numerical simulations explain experimental observations made by Peraldi and Veyssiere (1986). Received 5 July 1997 / Accepted 13 July 1998     

Thermal degradation of two liquid fuels and detonation tests for pulse detonation engine studies

The use of liquid fuels such as kerosene is of interest for the pulse detonation engine (PDE). Within this context, the aim of this work, which is a preliminary study, was to show the feasibility to initiate a detonation in air with liquid-fuel pyrolysis products, using energies and dimensions of test facility similars to those of PDEs. Therefore, two liquids fuels have been compared, JP10, which is a synthesis fuel generally used in the field of missile applications, and decane, which is one of the major components of standard kerosenes (F-34, Jet A1, ...). The thermal degradation of these fuels was studied with two pyrolysis processes, a batch reactor and a flow reactor. The temperatures varied from 600°C to 1,000°C and residence times for the batch reactor and the flow reactor were, respectively, between 10–30 s and 0.1–2 s. Subsequently, the detonability of synthetic gaseous mixtures, which was a schematisation of the decomposition state after the pyrolysis process, has been studied. The detonability study, regarding nitrogen dilution and equivalence ratio, was investigated in a 50 mm-diameter, 2.5 m-long detonation tube. These dimensions are compatible with applications in the aircraft industry and, more particularly, in PDEs. Therefore, JP10 and decane were compared to choose the best candidate for liquid-fuel PDE studies. This paper was based on work that was presented at the 20th International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems, Montreal, Canada, July 31 – August 5, 2005.     

对碰波作用下金属圆管材料参数对其运动特征影响的数值模拟

基于两点起爆实验,采用动力学有限元程序,在不考虑圆管破裂的前提下,详细分析了同一炸药爆轰下金属圆管各材料力学参数对其运动的影响规律。计算结果表明:弹性模量越大,泊松比越大,金属圆管的膨胀速度越大,但它们对圆管膨胀的位移和速度影响极小,在工程中可以忽略;屈服应力对金属圆管的运动有一定影响,屈服应力越大,对碰部位的鼓包范围越宽,鼓包峰值越小,但圆管各处的膨胀量均落后于屈服应力较小的情况;密度对圆管运动有较大影响,密度越大,受鼓包影响范围越宽,鼓包峰高越小。     

A numerical study of weak shock wave propagation in a reactive bubbly liquid

A numerical study is presented on the response of a weakly shock compressed liquid column that contains reactive gas bubbles. Both the liquid and gas are considered compressible. Compressibility of the liquid allows calculation of shock and rarefaction waves in the pure liquid as well as in the gas/liquid mixture. A microscopic model for local bubble collapse is coupled with a macroscopic model of wave propagation through the gas/liquid mixture. In the particular cases presented here, the characteristic times of propagation of the shock wave and bubble collapse are of the same order of magnitude. Consequently, the coupling between various phenomena is very strong. The present model based on fundamental principles of two-phase fluid mechanics takes into account the coupling of localized bubble oscillations. This model is composed of a microscopic one in the scale of a bubble size, and a macroscopic one which is based on the mixture theory. The liquid under study is water, and the gas is a reactive mixture of argon, hydrogen and oxygen. Received 18 December 1995 / Accepted 2 June 1996     

流动系统中爆轰波传播特性的数值模拟

基于带化学反应的二维Euler方程,采用氢气/空气的9组分19步基元反应简化模型,对充有当量 比的氢气/空气预混气体的矩形爆轰流场中爆轰波的传播过程进行了数值模拟,讨论了均匀来流对爆轰波传 播的影响。数值结果表明,在均匀来流的影响下,上游方向上的燃烧强度大于C-J爆速,下游方向上的燃烧强 度小于C-J爆速;上游方向传播的爆轰波的阵面压力大于下游方向传播的爆轰波的阵面压力。所以,经典的 C-J爆轰理论并不适用于流动系统中爆轰波传播特性的研究。     

固体炸药爆轰与惰性介质相互作用的一种扩散界面模型

提出一种保持热力学一致性的扩散界面模型,用来数值模拟固体炸药爆轰与惰性介质的相互作用问题。基于混合网格内各组分物质间可以达到力学平衡状态而不能达到热学平衡状态的假设,由混合网格能量守恒以及压力相等条件,推导出每种组分物质的体积分数演化方程。由此获得的扩散界面模型包括组分物质的质量守恒方程、混合物质的动量及总能量守恒方程,同时包括组分物质的体积分数演化方程和混合物质的压力演化方程。该扩散界面模型的主要特点是考虑了化学反应以及热学非平衡的影响。提出的扩散界面模型在物质界面附近不会出现物理量的非物理振荡现象、适用于任意表达形式的物质状态方程以及任意数目的惰性介质。

     

Experimental and numerical investigation of the shock-induced fluidization of a particles bed

An experimental study on unsteady two phase flow is conducted in a vertical shock tube. Shock Mach numbers range from 1.3 to 1.5 in 1 bar. The particles are initially positioned in horizontal beds of various thicknesses. Our research covers a large domain of void fraction from 1 (single particles) to 0.35 (compact beds). The experiments provide shadowgraph images for the recording of particle trajectories (effect of the gas on the particles) and side-wall pressures (action of the particles on the gas). A dense two phase flow model has been elaborated and numerically solved using a finite difference scheme with pseudoviscosity. The simulated shock-induced fluidization of a 2 cm thick bed of 1.5 mm diameter glass particles is compared to the experiment. Received 10 September 1996 / Accepted 4 January 1997