Detonation in van der Waals Gas

Abstract

Solving problems of detonation control is associated with obtaining detailed information about the gas dynamics accompanying the detonation process. This paper focuses on the dynamics of real gas flow through a plane detonation wave. The influence of real gas parameters on the Chapman–Jouguet detonation process has been studied. The process is described using the Rankine–Hugoniot system of equations. To model the thermodynamic properties of a real gas, the van der Waals equation of state is used. Equations are obtained to determine the ratio of speeds and pressures during the passage of a wave. The influence of van der Waals parameters on changes in the parameters of the detonation process was elucidated. An increase in parameter A slows down the increase in pressure in the detonation wave, and an increase in parameter B enhances it. Differences in the speed of combustion products for ideal and real gases are shown. For an ideal gas, combustion products flow from the detonation front at a critical (sonic) speed. For a van der Waals gas, the speed of combustion products may be greater than the critical one. Moreover, both factors, additional pressure (A) and additional volume (B), lead to acceleration of combustion products. Effects of heat release on the process parameters were elucidated.