Numerical simulation of shock-wave initiation of heterogeneous detonation in aerosuspensions of aluminum particles

Numerical simulations of flows of reacting two-phase media in a two-velocity, twotemperature approximation are used to study the shock-wave initiation of detonation in aerosuspensions of aluminum particles in oxygen. The conditions in a high pressure chamber under which detonation can develop after rupture of a diaphragm are determined. Two initiation scenarios are established that depend on the localization of the initiation source. It is shown that initiation brings on a self-sustained detonation regime (Chapman–Jouguet or incompletely compressed, depending on the relaxation parameters). The required initiation energy is estimated and ignition criteria are formulated. The possibility of detonation initiation when insufficiently strong shock waves are reflected from a rigid wall is discussed.