ID#: 62
Abstract Title: Explosion-Induced Combustion of Hydrocarbon Clouds in a Chamber
Session Title: Explosion Physics
Session Date: 7/30/01
Session Start Time: 8:55 AM
Contributing Author: Neuwald, P.
Organization: Ernst-Mach-Institut
Country: Germany
Authors: Peter Neuwald, Heinz Reichenbach, Allen L. Kuhl
Short Abstract: The interaction of the blast wave from the detonation of a solid HE-charge with a non-premixed cloud of hydro-carbon fuel in a chamber was studied in a series of laboratory experiments. Soap bubbles filled with a flammable gas such as butane were subjected to the detonation of PETN-charges with a mass ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 g. The dynamics of the system were investigated by means of high-speed photography and measurement of the quasi-static chamber pressure. The combustion-induced increase of the quasi-static pressure indicates that ignition probability and the burning rate depend on charge mass and position. These also influence the flow dynamics in the chamber. In the investigated parameter range the combustion processes thus appear to be dominated by the flow dynamics and especially the turbulence.