Propagation Behavior of Combustion Wave Induced by a Shock Wave Propagated into a Premixed Gas of Oxygen and Hydrogen

Abstract

In this paper, experimental results were reported to investigate a behavior of combustion wave when a shock wave was transmitted into a combustible premixed gas of oxygen and hydrogen. In general, phenomena occurring in the premixed gas would be classified into four types, i.e. (a) the shock wave was just transmitted without causing ignition for the shock wave propagated with low-Mach number, (b) the gas was ignited behind the shock wave and a deflagration wave was propagated following the shock wave, (c) the deflagration wave was transited to a detonation wave behind the shock wave, (d) a detonation wave was directly initiated just behind incident shock wave having high-propagation Mach number. In this study, a shock wave produced by a detonation-driven shock tube was transmitted into a premixed gas of oxygen and hydrogen varied with an equivalence ratio, initial pressure of premixed gas and Mach number of the shock wave. As a result, the phenomena of combustion wave were classified using a cell-size of steady-propagating detonation wave. For sensitive gases having small cell-size, the detonation wave was directly initiated behind the shock wave even though the Mach number of the shock wave was relatively low. Empirical equations to evaluate a Mach number and temperature behind shock wave were obtained, which are threshold parameters to cause detonation wave behind transmitted shock wave.