The use of Hugoniot analysis for the propagation of vapor explosion waves

Abstract

Experimental studies have shown that a mixture of molten metal and water can support the propagation of a quasi-steady vapor explosion wave. Analysis of steadily propagating vapor explosion waves has been carried out by applying the one-dimensional conservation laws of mass, momentum and energy and appropriate equations of state to a homogeneous mixture of molten tin, water and steam. The effects of void fraction, melt/water volume fraction and melt temperature on the Hugoniot curves have been considered. For low temperature melts, the Hugoniot curve lies partially inside the saturation dome and a Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) detonation point occurs only for low void fractions. For high melt temperatures, the downstream states lie entirely outside the saturation region. Increasing the volatility of the coolant or the addition of chemical reactions increases the predicted CJ detonation pressure and velocity. CJ deflagration solutions were obtained in all cases. The existence of a CJ detonation or CJ deflagration for a multiphase fuel-coolant mixture has yet to be substantiated experimentally and nonequilibrium effects may play a role in the divergence between theory and experiments.