Gravity-current-induced test gas stratification and its prevention in constrained reaction volume shock-tube experiments

Abstract

The constrained reaction volume (CRV) method for shock-tube experiments makes it possible to conduct chemical kinetics studies at nearly constant pressure while inhibiting remote ignition. The application of end-wall imaging revealed, however, that CRV experiments are susceptible to vertical stratification at the interface of the test and buffer gases. This work identifies gravity currents as the mechanism leading to the test gas stratification, providing both a theoretical development and experimental investigation of their behavior in a shock tube. Parametric studies are conducted with both the gate valve and stage-filled CRV methods using a novel beam-split laser absorption diagnostic. The speed of gravity-current-induced mixing in both gate valve and stage-filled CRV experiments is shown to depend on the molecular weight matching of the gases and the fill pressure. Mixing velocity in gate valve experiments is shown not to depend on the gate valve speed. In stage-filled experiments, mixing time is seen to be a strong function of the test gas length. Recommended practices for avoiding gravity-current-induced mixing and stratification are described, including gas density matching, utilizing double diaphragms, increasing test gas length in stage-filled experiments, and implementing a gas interface diagnostic.