Numerical studies of the evolution of detonations (Q1364993)

We present some studies of the evolution of the shock-induced initiation of detonations. The aim is to examine the way that the dynamics and the chemistry of the system interact to produce detonation waves. A chemically-active flow governed by the reactive Euler equations, which has an exact solution, is used as a validation exercise. Two-dimensional flow is induced by a temperature perturbation \(\Delta T\) of order \(\varepsilon\) (the dimensionless inverse activation energy), in an otherwise planar flowfield. The effect of small variations in \(\Delta T\) on the ignition pattern is investigated by means of a series of numerical integrations. Analysis of the results gives some preliminary indications regarding the role of quasisteady structures during weak ignition.