Two-dimensional reactive flow dynamics in cellular detonation waves

This investigation deals with the two-dimensional unsteady detonation chara cterized by the cellular structure resulting from trajectories of triple-sh ock configurations formed by the transverse waves and the leading shock fro nt. The time-dependent reactive shock problem considered here is governed b y a system of nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws coupled to a polytropi c equation of state and a one-step Arrhenius chemical reaction rate with he at release. The numerical solution obtained allowed us to follow the dynami cs of the cellular detonation front involving the triple points, transverse waves and unreacted pockets. The calculations show that the weak tracks ob served inside the detonation cells around the points of collision of the tr iple-shock configurations arise from interactions between the transverse sh ocks and compression waves generated by the collision. The unreacted pocket s of gas formed during the collisions of triple points change form when the activation energy increases. For the self sustained detonation considered here, the unreacted pockets burn inside the region independent of the downs tream rarefaction; and thus the energy released supports the detonation pro pagation. The length of the region independent of the downstream is approxi mately the size of one or two detonation cell.