NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF 2-D AND 3-D MULTITUBE PULSE DETONATION USING H 2 AND JP8 FUEL*

The flow-field interaction among detonation tubes sharing a common nozzle in a multitube pulsed detonation engine is explored. The evaluations are based on a two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) analysis of first-pulse operation and use a viscous, eight-species, finite-rate, transient flow-field model. Configurations involving two to five tubes for two-dimensional analysis and four tubes for three-dimensional analysis are considered. The common nozzle provides a path through which the detonation from one tube causes a pressure spike in adjacent tubes. Previous studies indicate that the strength of this spike can vary by a factor of five, depending on the nozzle throat area and inter-tube geometry, and that increased tube length does not have a significant effect in strength of interaction. The present study indicates that the flow-field interaction among three, four, and five tubes for twodimensional analysis is smaller than the interaction between two tubes. However, results indicate that the pressure spike produced in one tube by a detonation exiting in an adjacent tube can be reduced by increasing the number of detonation tubes. Increasing the number of tubes will also reduce the performance to some extent. However, the strength of the flow-field interaction among the three-dimensional tubes compared to that of the two-dimensional tube is smaller by a factor of two. The results serve as an important precursor to understanding appropriate propellant fill procedures and shock wave propagation in multitube simulations. Nomenclature Lcc Length of the converging section of the nozzle Lcd Length of the diverging section of the

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