Reignition of detonations by reflected shocks

Abstract

Numerical simulations are used to study the diffraction, decay, and reignition that occurs when a detonation propagates past an increase in cross-sectional area in a rectangular tube. The computations solve the time-dependent two-dimensional equations describing a reactive flow in an argon-diluted stoichiometric hydrogen-oxygen mixture at atmospheric pressure. Previous studies have shown that soon after transmission to a larger area, the reaction front decouples from the leading shock and forms a decaying blast wave (“bubble”) in the larger tube. Then, depending on the initial conditions, the detonation either continues to decay or is reignited as the bubble reflects off confining surfaces. For a strongly overdriven initiating detonation, reignition occurs through an interaction between the bubble and the original contact surface. For a more weakly driven system, reignition can occur in two ways: either in the slip line and Mach stem of the Mach reflection formed when the bubble reflects off the bottom surface of the tube, or by multiple shock interactions that occur when the reflected bubble overtakes the initial detonation front. The computations show the evolution and development of the cellular structure of the steady detonation front.