Numerical investigations of shock waves in gas-particle mixtures

The propagation of shock waves in gas-particle mixtures in one- and two-dimensional geometries is numerically investigated. Two schemes for approximating conservation laws for particles, which are collectively treated as a continuum medium, are compared and discussed. Different models of the drag coefficient and Nusselt number, directly affecting the interaction between the gas and particle phases, are used for obtaining shock profiles, and the results are compared. The oblique shock reflections at a solid wedge in a gas-particle mixture are simulated. The results demonstrate that the reflection pattern changes as the shock propagates along the wedge, revealing strong non-selfsimilarity of the phenomenon.Received: 22 May 2003, Accepted: 28 August 2003, Published online: 12 November 2003 Correspondence to:T. Saito