Numerical study on mechanism of C-J deflagration

TL;DR

This study uses one-dimensional numerical simulations to explore the mechanisms behind detonation instability and the transition from deflagration to detonation, revealing how activation energy influences stability and the formation of deflagration.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the transition mechanisms from detonation to deflagration using simplified chemical kinetics in a one-dimensional model.

Findings

Higher activation energy induces detonation instability.

Detonation degenerates into deflagration at very high activation energy.

C-J deflagration propagates with a nearly constant velocity due to a balance of wave interactions.

Abstract

The mechanism of detonation instability and deflagration-to-detonation transition is studied by one-dimensional numerical simulation with overall one-step chemical reaction kinetics in this paper. The detonation is ignited at the left closed end of the one-dimensional detonation tube and propagates downstream. The activation energy is increased to trigger the instability of detonation. The numerical results show that the C-J detonation is stable at lower activation energy. The stable detonation does not have the von Neumann spike and the gas Mach number at detonation front is subsonic. The von Neumann spike appears and the gas Mach number becomes supersonic as the activation energy is increased. The detonation instability appears with the von Neumann spike synchronously. At very higher activation energy, the detonation quenches abruptly and degenerates into a C-J deflagration. The detonation is extinguished abruptly by the rarefaction wave induced by the higher von Neumann spike. Then the rarefaction wave moves in front of the heat release region and weakens the leading shock wave gradually. The C-J deflagration is composed of a precursor shock wave and a flame front, and the flame front is completely decoupled from the shock wave. The gas static temperature behind the leading shock wave is too low to ignite the mixture. The rarefaction wave from the wall ceases the mixture behind the leading shock, increases its static temperature and decrease its pressure. As a result, the combustion takes place at the interface. The pressure rise caused by the combustion at the interface offsets the influence of rarefaction wave, and this mechanism makes the C-J deflagration propagate downstream with a relatively constant velocity for a long time.