Numerical Simulation of the Transition to Detonation in a Hydrogen–Air Mixture Due to Shock Wave Focusing on a 90-Degree Wedge

Jose Bermudez De La Hoz, Wojciech Rudy and Andrzej Teodorczyk ()
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Jose Bermudez De La Hoz: Institute of Heat Engineering, Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 21/25, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Wojciech Rudy: Institute of Heat Engineering, Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 21/25, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Andrzej Teodorczyk: Institute of Heat Engineering, Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 21/25, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: This study numerically explores the initiation of detonation through shock wave reflection and focusing on a 90-degree wedge in varying mixtures of hydrogen–air. The simulations were conducted using the ddtFoam code, an integral part of the OpenFOAM open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) package of density-based code for solving the unsteady, compressible Navier–Stokes equations. The simulation results unveil three potential outcomes in the corner post-reflection: deflagrative ignition in the corner, deflagrative ignition with intermediate transient phases leading to a delayed transition to detonation in the trailing combustion zone close to the apex of the wedge, and ignition with an immediate transition to detonation, resulting in the formation of a detonation wave in the corner tip. In the experimental investigation, the transition velocity for the stoichiometric mixture stood at approximately 719 m/s. In contrast, the numerical simulation indicated a transition velocity of 664 m/s for the same stoichiometric mixture, reflecting a 5.5% decrease in velocity. Such an underestimation level of 5–8% by the simulation results was observed for mixtures of 25–45% H 2 in air.

Keywords: combustion; detonation; shock waves; shock focusing; hydrogen–air; ddtFoam (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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