Strong explosion in a combustible gas mixture

Assume that a planar, cylindrical, or spherical point explosion takes place in a combustible mixture of gases. As a result of the explosion a strong shock wave develops and triggers chemical reactions with the release of heat. The solution of the problem for the case in which the thickness of the heat release zone is neglected (the infinitely thin detonation wave model) was obtained in [1–3].It was emphasized in [4] that these solutions can be considered only as asymptotic solutions for time and distance scales which are large in comparison with the scales which are characteristic for the chemical reactions, and under the assumption that as the overdriven detonation wave which is formed in the explosion is weakened by the rarefaction waves it does not degenerate into an ordinary compression shock. Here the question remains open of the possibility of obtaining such asymptotic solutions with account for finite chemical-reaction rates.In conclusion the authors wish to thank E. Bishimov for carrying out most of the computations for this study.     

Structure of detonation waves in gas suspensions of fuel containing the oxidant

The structure of detonation waves in air suspensions of unitary fuels (fuels containing an oxidant such as gunpowder and high explosives) is investigated. In such systems, complete combustion of the particles is possible at a high mass concentration of the fuel. As a result, the structure of detonation differs from that in gas-drop [1–3] and gas [4, 5] mixtures. The shock adiabats characteristic for air suspensions [6, 7] are used to investigate the field of integral curves which describe the structure of detonation waves in disperse media. Calculated distributions of the parameters which characterize the gas and particles in the detonation front are given. The influence of the rate of combustion of the particles and the intensity of interphase friction on the structure of the detonation is investigated. Results of the calculation of the structure of relaxation shock waves in gas suspensions of the solid fuel of rockets are given in [8]. Unsteady problems of convective combustion and the transition of combustion of air suspensions into detonation are analyzed in [9, 10].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 47–53, September–October, 1981.     

Detonation Wave Propagation in Rotational Gas Flows

This paper studies the propagation of detonation and shock waves in vortex gas flows, in which the initial pressure, density, and velocity are generally functions of the coordinate — the distance from the symmetry axis. Rotational axisymmetric flow having a transverse velocity component in addition to a nonuniform longitudinal velocity is considered. The possibility of propagation of Chapman–Jouguet detonation waves in rotating flows is analyzed. A necessary conditions for the existence of a Chapman–Jouguet wave is obtained.     

On regular reflection of detonation waves

The boundaries of regular reflection of detonation waves by a rigid wall are calculated. It is assumed that detonation is initiated at the point of reflection when a shock wave is incident on the wall at a finite angle in a gas fuel mixture, the detonation propagating instantaneously along the reflected front.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 178–180, March–April, 1983.     

Evolution of shock waves in polydisperse gas suspensions with a nonuniform particle concentration distribution

The results of a numerical investigation of the laws of shock wave propagation in polydisperse (two-fraction) gas suspensions with a non-uniform initial particle concentration distribution are presented. Examples of shock wave propagation in extended layers of a gas suspension with linearly increasing, linearly decreasing and sinusoidal laws of variation of the particle concentration are considered. It is shown that when shock waves pass through layers of a gas suspension with increasing and decreasing laws of variation of the particle concentration, respectively, amplification and attenuation of the waves are observed; when shock waves travel through gas suspensions with a periodic law of variation of the particle concentration the pressure distribution behind the wave fronts is nonmonotonic. The solutions corresponding to polydisperse and monodisperse gas suspensions with an effective particle size are examined. The nonequilibrium and thermodynamic-equilibrium solutions are compared.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 183–190, September–October, 1991.     

Intensification of a detonation wave in the zone of secondary reactions in a two-phase medium

A method is proposed for the numerical calculation of one-dimensional nonsteady-state flows of a mixture of a gas with particles, based on the separation of a system of differential equations for a two-phase medium into two subsystems. The problem is solved concerning the propagation of a plane detonation wave in a mixture of a detonating gas with particles, behind the front of which secondary chemical reactions are taking place between the vapors of the particle material and the detonation products. The velocity profiles of the gas and of the thermodynamic functions behind the detonation wave front are determined, and also the dependence of the detonation velocity on the distance to the point of initiation. The conditions for intensification of the detonation wave are obtained in the zone of secondary reactions.Leningrad. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 92–96, September–October, 1972.     

Stability of a radiation-absorbing ionizing shock wave in an electromagnetic field

The linear stability of a radiation-absorbing ionizing shock wave (light detonation waves) in the presence of a uniform electromagnetic field is investigated. The applied electric field is considered to be normal to the wave front and the magnetic field to be parallel to the front and perpendicular to the plane in which perturbations propagate. The medium satisfies a two-parameter equation of state. Analytic stability criteria are obtained. For a perfect gas the effect of the electromagnetic field and radiation on shock wave stability is determined.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 23–30, January–February, 1996.     

Propagation of shock and detonation waves in dust-laden gases

This article examines the flows of a two-phase mixture of a gas with solid particles arising as a result of the propagation of shock waves or detonation waves through a homogeneous medium at rest. It is assumed that the basic assumptions of the mechanics of mutually penetrating continua hold [1], whereby it is possible to describe the flow of each phase of the mixture within the framework of the mechanics of a continuous medium. We assume that the solid phase consists of identical, incompressible, and nondeformable particles of spherical shape. It is assumed that the temperature inside the particles is homogeneous. Collisions between particles and their Brownian motion are ignored. It is assumed that the carrier phase is an ideal gas (the viscosity is only allowed for in the interaction forces between phases). The contribution of the volume of the particles is not considered. On the basis of these assumptions, the following problems are considered: the propagation of a detonation wave in a mixture of a detonating gas and chemically inert particles and the motion of a dust-gas mixture in a shock tube in the presence of combustion of the particles.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6. pp. 93–99, November–December, 1984.     

Structure of detonation waves,ionizing a gas,in the presence of an electromagnetic field. Cases of low magnetic viscosity

If behind a detonation wave, ionizing a gas, the magnetic Reynolds number is much greater than unity, then in order to describe such waves (just as for ionizing shock waves) complementary relations [1, 2] are necessary. These complementary relations are not the consequence of the basic integral laws, but can be found from a consideration of the wave structure. In [2], the structure of detonation waves, ionizing a gas, was investigated in an oblique magnetic field. It was supposed that the flow in a layer representing the structure is determined by the finite rate of the chemical reaction and the finite electrical conductivity. In the case when the characteristic length of the chemical reaction is much less than the characteristic dissipation length of the magnetic field, the complementary relations which ensure the existence of the structure are obtained in explicit form. The case is considered below when the characteristic length of the chemical reaction is much greater than the dissipation length of the magnetic field. In this case, the complementary relations are obtained in the explicit form.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 95–101, May–June, 1976.     

On a class of exact particular solutions of the equations of transonic gas flows

The paper presents exact particular solutions of the equations of transonic gas flows, analogous to the solutions derived in [1–3] for the case of short waves. These solutions are used to construct the flow around a body in a supersonic stream with an attached shock.     

Population inversion behind a detonation wave propagating in a variable-density medium

The creation of an active medium by means of detonation has been investigated on a number of occasions. It was suggested that one could use the expansion of the detonation products of an acetylene-air mixture in vacuum [1] or the cooling of the detonation products of a mixture of hydrocarbons and air through a nozzle [2, 3]. In [4], the detonation of a solid high explosive was used to produce population inversion in the gas mixture CO₂-N₂-He(H₂O). Stimulated emission from HF molecules was observed in [5] behind the front of an overdriven detonation wave propagating in an F₂-H₂-Ar mixture in a shock tube. Population inversion behind a detonation wave was studied in H₂-F₂-He mixtures in [6–8] and in H₂-Cl₂-He mixtures in [9] with energy release on a plane and on a straight line in a medium with constant density. Similar problems were solved for shock waves propagating in both a homogeneous gaseous medium [7, 10] and in the supersonic part of an expanding nozzle. In the present paper, we study theoretically population inversion behind an overdriven detonation wave propagating in a mixture (fine carbon particles + acetylene + air) which flows through a hypersonic nozzle. The propagation of detonation in media with variable density and initial velocity was considered, for example, in [11, 12]. Analysis of the gas parameters behind a detonation wave propagating in a medium with constant density (for a given fuel) showed that the temperature difference across the detonation front is insufficient to produce population inversion of the vibrational levels of the CO₂ molecule.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 65–71, January–February, 1980.I am grateful to V. P. Korobeinikov for a helpful discussion of the results.     

Blast wave propagation in air from a gaseous charge

In the point explosion problem it is assumed that an instantaneous release of finite energy causing shock wave propagation in the ambient gas occurs at a space point. The results of the solution of the problem of such blasts are contained in [1–4]. This point model is applied for the determination of shock wave parameters when the initial pressure in a sphere of finite radius exceeds the ambient air pressure by 2–3 orders of magnitude. The possibility of such a flow simulation at a certain distance from the charge is shown in papers [4, 5] as applied to the blast of a charge of condensed explosive and in [6, 8] as applied to the expansion of a finite volume of strongly compressed hot gas. In certain practical problems the initial pressure in a volume of finite dimensions exceeds atmospheric pressure by a factor 10–15 only. Such cases arise, for example, in the detonation of gaseous fuel-air mixtures. The present paper considers the problem of shock wave propagation in air, caused by explosion of gaseous charge of spherical or cylindrical shape. A numerical solution is obtained in a range of values of the specific energy of the charge characteristic for fuel-air detonation mixtures by means of the method of characteristics without secondary shock wave separation. The influence of the initial conditions of the gas charge explosion (specific energy, nature of initiation, and others) is investigated and compared with the point case with respect to the pressure difference across the shock wave and the positive overpressure pulse.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 110–118, May–June, 1986.     

Spatially polarized structure of detonation waves ionizing a gas

Additional relationships must be used [1–3], in addition to those following from the main integral laws, in describing ionizing detonation waves, exactly as for ionizing shocks. These additional relationships are obtained from the requirement for the existence of wave structure. The structure of detonation waves ionizing a gas in an oblique magnetic field was investigated in [1, 2]. The case of a plane-polarized structure was considered, when the velocity vector and the magnetic field lie in a plane passing through the normal to the front. The structure of ionizing detonation waves is studied in this paper for the case when the wave is spatially polarized and both transverse magnetic field components vary in the structure. It is considered that the magnetic viscosity and a quantity reciprocal to the chemical reaction rate are much greater than the remaining dissipative coefficients in the layer representing the structure. Conditions for the existence of such a spatial structure are clarified. Plane-polarized ionizing detonation waves whose structure is not planar are also considered. When the characteristic length of magnetic field dissipation is much greater or much less than the characteristic length of the chemical reaction, the additional relationships assuring the existence of structure are written down explicitly or are investigated qualitatively.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 166–169, November–December, 1976.     

Some results of a numerical analysis of transient waves in gas suspensions

Special aspects of the transmission of transient waves through gas mixtures carrying suspended solid particles of chemically inert substances are examined. The influence of the parameters of the gas suspension on the conditions governing the occurrence of transient processes is discussed. The interaction of shock waves with a dust-laden half-space is considered. The results of calculations relating to the decay of an arbitrary discontinuity during the reflection of a shock wave from a wall are presented.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 64–69, September–October, 1976.     

Supersonic flow of a combustible gas mixture past a sphere

In recent years considerable interest has developed in the problems of steady-state supersonic flow of a mixture of gases about bodies with the formation of detonation waves and slow combustion fronts. This is due in particular to the problem of fuel combustion in a supersonic air stream.In [1] the problem of supersonic flow past a wedge with a detonation wave attached to the wedge apex is solved. This solution is based on using the equation of the detonation polar obtained in [2]-the analog of the shock polar for the case of an exothermic discontinuity. In [3] a solution is given of the problem of cone flow with an attached detonation wave, and [4] presents solutions of the problems of supersonic flow past the wedge and cone with the formation of attached adiabatic shocks with subsequent combustion of the mixture in slow combustion fronts. In the two latter studies two different solutions were also found for the problem of flow past a point ignition source, one solution with gas combustion in the detonation wave, the other with gas combustion in the slow combustion front following the adiabatic shock. These solutions describe two different asymptotic pictures of flow of a combustible gas mixture past bodies.In an experimental study of the motion of a sphere in a combustible gas mixture [5] it was found that the detonation wave formed ahead of the sphere splits at some distance from the body into an ordinary (adiabatic) shock and a slow combustion front. Arguments are presented in [6] which make it possible to explain this phenomenon and in certain cases to predict its occurrence.The present paper presents examples of the calculation of flow of a combustible gas mixture past a sphere with a detonation wave in the case when the wave does not split. In addition, the flow near the point at which the detonation wave splits is analyzed for the case when splitting occurs where the gas velocity behind the wave is greater than the speed of sound. This analysis shows that in the given case the flow calculation may be carried out without any particular difficulties. On the other hand, the calculation of the flow for the case when the point of splitting is located in the subsonic portion of the flow behind the wave (or in the region of influence of the subsonic portion of the flow) presents difficulties. This flow case is similar to the problem of the supersonic jet of finite width impacting on an obstacle.     

Self-similar solutions for energy liberation in a gas stream

By using dimensional analysis some possible kinds of nonstationary and stationary gas flows with energy liberation which result in self-similar problems are investigated. The cases of energy liberation in a gas at rest and in uniform supersonic and hypersonic streams are examined. The gas is assumed inviscid and perfect. Results of a computation of some hypersonic self-similar gas motions are presented. Three classes of self-similar gas motions have been well studied at this time: the strong explosion, the power-law flow caused by the expansion of a plane, cylindrical, or spherical piston [1], and conical flow (including combustion and detonation waves [2–4]). Some new self-similar motions caused by energy liberation on certain lines, surfaces, or in volumes will be examined below.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 106–113, November–December, 1974.     

Chapman-Jouguet waves in a dusty gas

An analytic solution is obtained of the problem of flow of a two-phase medium, representing a mixture of gas and solid or liquid particles behind plane, cylindrical, and spherical Chapman-Jouguet detonation waves. It is assumed that all the particles are the same, are chemically inert, have a true density much greater than the density of the gas, and that their volume concentration a is low. The interaction of the particles and the influence of Brownian motion on them are disregarded. The gas is assumed to be perfect. On the detonation wave, the particle parameters are assumed to be continuous, and the usual gas-dynamical relations on the detonation wave have been applied for the gas parameters because is low. Behind the detonation front, the phases interact through interphase forces and heat transfer. It has been found that the dust content of the combustible gas qualitatively changes the character of flows with Chapman-Jouguet (C-J) waves. It is shown that a plane C-J wave is an envelope of one of the acoustic families of characteristics, and not a characteristic, as occurs in a pure gas [1]. In view of this, only two solutions of the problem of flow behind a plane C-J wave are possible: one solution corresponds to a rarefaction flow and the other to a compression flow. In a pure gas such a problem has a nondenumerable set of solutions: an arbitrary Riemann rarefaction wave can adjoin the plane C-J wave. It is found that in a dusty gas there are converging cylindrical and spherical C-J waves. In a pure gas, there are no converging C-J waves [2, 3]. An expression is found for the distance r_* from the axis (center) of symmetry on which the converging cylindrical (spherical) C-J wave changes into a supercompressed detonation wave. It has been found that r_* d/₀, = 1, 2 for the cylindrical and spherical waves, respectively, d is the particle diameter, ₀ is their initial volume concentration, and the proportionality factor decreases together with d. For the detonating mixture 2H₂ + O₂ the calculations of r_* are given in a number of cases.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 111–118, July–August, 1985.The author wishes to thank V. A. Levin for his interest in the work and his useful discussion of the results.     

Estimates of the motion of detonation waves in a gravitating gas

According to present ideas [1, 2], the light elements contained in the outer layers of stars may be detonated when there is gravitational collapse of the core of the star accompanied by neutrino emission that initiates the detonation. The main attention in investigations has been devoted to the physical processes associated with the thermonuclear reactions and the propagation of the radiation, less attention being paid to the gas dynamics as a whole. The present paper considers the spherically symmetric problem of the adiabatic motion of a gravitating perfect gas in the presence of a detonation wave resulting from an inhomogeneous gravitational collapse of gas at zero pressure or a loss of equilibrium. Following a method developed by Golubyatnikov [3, 4], the authors construct a system of integrodifferential inequalities that, in particular, determine the law of motion of a detonation wave through a known initial state of the gas. The corresponding self-similar problems are investigated as examples.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 140–145, March–April, 1984.     

On the origin and part played by pulsations of a detonation front

Arguments are given which show that the occurrence of pulsations is independent of the part they play in self-sustained detonation. It is shown that the perturbations which generate kinks in the detonation front are not formed in the region of shock compression but in the burning gas. It is suggested that the primary cause of the perturbations could be strong fluctuations associated with intense chemical transformations.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 190–194, September–October, 1979.I am grateful to V. A. Levin and G. G. Chernii for discussions and valuable comments and to Ya. K. Troshin for support.