Thermally initiated detonation through deflagration to detonation transition

Abstract The initiation of a planar detonation via deflagration to detonation transition is studied in a reactive mixture confined between two infinite parallel plane walls. The mixture is ignited by bulk power deposition of limited duration in a thin layer adjacent to the left-hand wall. A combustion wave starts to propagate into the reactant, supported by expansion of the burned hot gases. Compression waves generated ahead of the combustion front coalesce quickly to form a shock wave strong enough to trigger considerable chemical reaction. This newly started reaction evolves into a reaction centre in which the chemical heat release rate increases rapidly. The subsequent explosion of the reaction centre creates compression waves that steepen to form a new shock. The strengthened lead shock ignites a new strongly coupled reaction zone that supports the formation of an initially overdriven detonation. Subsequently, the wave decays to an oscillating planar detonation with mean properties of a Chapman-Jouguet wave.