Constrained Reaction Volume: A New Approach to Studying Reactive Systems in Shock Tubes

Abstract

One of the current problems facing kinetics modeling of combustion processes in shock tubes is the need for a simple, well-defined gasdynamics model that can be used to describe the time-dependent reflected test gas conditions throughout energetic ignition events. The near-constant-pressure or near-constant-volume assumption that may be valid before ignition is clearly violated behind reflected shock waves in conventional shock tubes when there is large energy release. In these cases, accurate modeling, both gasdynamic and chemical, throughout the ignition event is effectively impossible without having to resort to multi-dimensional computation schemes.