On the direct initiation of gaseous detonations by an energy source

A new criterion for the direct initiation of cylindrical or spherical detonations by a localized energy source is presented. The analysis is based on nonlinear curvature effects on the detonation structure. These effects are first studied in a quasi-steady-state approximation valid for a characteristic timescale of evolution much larger than the reaction timescale. Analytical results for the square-wave model and numerical results for an Arrhenius law of the quasi-steady equations exhibit two branches of solutions with a C-shaped curve and a critical radius below which generalized Chapman–Jouguet (CJ) solutions cannot exist. For a sufficiently large activation energy this critical radius is much larger than the thickness of the planar CJ detonation front (typically 300 times larger at ordinary conditions) which is the only intrinsic lengthscale in the problem. Then, the initiation of gaseous detonations by an ideal point energy source is investigated in cylindrical and spherical geometries for a one-step irreversible reaction. Direct numerical simulations show that the upper branch of quasi-steady solutions acts as an attractor of the unsteady blast waves originating from the energy source. The critical source energy, which is associated with the critical point of the quasi-steady solutions, corresponds approximately to the boundary of the basin of attraction. For initiation energy smaller than the critical value, the detonation initiation fails, the strong detonation which is initially formed decays to a weak shock wave. A successful initiation of the detonation requires a larger energy source. Transient phenomena which are associated with the intrinsic instability of the quasi-steady detonations branch develop in the induction timescale and may induce additional mechanisms close to the critical condition. In conditions of stable or weakly unstable planar detonations, these unsteady phenomena are important only in the vicinity of the critical conditions. The criterion of initiation derived in this paper works to a good approximation and exhibits the huge numerical factor, 10 6 –10 8 , which has been experimentally observed in the critical value of the initiation energy.