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All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1973

Experiments in gasdynamics of explosions.

Various topics concerning recent accomplishments in experimental studies of gasdynamics of explosions are reviewed. Detonations, shocks, and blast waves form these topics. The most important feature of current studies is the particular attention paid to transient processes and the concomitant progress made in the development of novel experimental means for the study of such processes. The most exciting prospects for the future are associated with possibilities of exploiting knowledge of explosion phenomena for the development of such interesting devices as the gasdynamic laser and the apparatus based on the use of lasers to achieve controlled thermonuclear reaction.

Oppenheim, A. K.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Acceleration Modes and Transitions in Pulsed Plasma Accelerators

Pulsed plasma accelerators typically operate by storing energy in a capacitor bank and then discharging this energy through a gas, ionizing and accelerating it through the Lorentz body force. Two plasma accelerator types employing this general scheme have typically been studied: the gas-fed pulsed plasma thruster and the quasi-steady magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) accelerator. The gas-fed pulsed plasma accelerator is generally represented as a completely transient device discharging in approximately 1-10 microseconds. When the capacitor bank is discharged through the gas, a current sheet forms at the breech of the thruster and propagates forward under a j (current density) by B (magnetic field) body force, entraining propellant it encounters. This process is sometimes referred to as detonation-mode acceleration because the current sheet representation approximates that of a strong shock propagating through the gas. Acceleration of the initial current sheet ceases when either the current sheet reaches the end of the device and is ejected or when the current in the circuit reverses, striking a new current sheet at the breech and depriving the initial sheet of additional acceleration. In the quasi-steady MPD accelerator, the pulse is lengthened to approximately 1 millisecond or longer and maintained at an approximately constant level during discharge. The time over which the transient phenomena experienced during startup typically occur is short relative to the overall discharge time, which is now long enough for the plasma to assume a relatively steady-state configuration. The ionized gas flows through a stationary current channel in a manner that is sometimes referred to as the deflagration-mode of operation. The plasma experiences electromagnetic acceleration as it flows through the current channel towards the exit of the device. A device that had a short pulse length but appeared to operate in a plasma acceleration regime different from the gas-fed pulsed plasma accelerators was developed by Cheng, et al. The Coaxial High ENerGy (CHENG) thruster operated on the 10-microseconds timescales of pulsed plasma thrusters, but claimed high thrust density, high efficiency and low electrode erosion rates, which are more consistent with the deflagration mode of acceleration. Separate work on gas-fed pulsed plasma thrusters (PPTs) by Ziemer, et al. identified two separate regimes of performance. The regime at higher mass bits (termed Mode I in that work) possessed relatively constant thrust efficiency (ratio of jet kinetic energy to input electrical energy) as a function of mass bit. In the second regime at very low mass bits (termed Mode II), the efficiency increased with decreasing mass bit. Work by Poehlmann et al. and by Sitaraman and Raja sought to understand the performance of the CHENG thruster and the Mode I / Mode II performance in PPTs by modeling the acceleration using the Hugoniot Relation, with the detonation and deflagration modes representing two distinct sets of solutions to the relevant conservation laws. These works studied the proposal that, depending upon the values of the various controllable parameters, the accelerator would operate in either the detonation or deflagration mode. In the present work, we propose a variation on the explanation for the differences in performance between the various pulsed plasma accelerators. Instead of treating the accelerator as if it were only operating in one mode or the other during a pulse, we model the initial stage of the discharge in all cases as an accelerating current sheet (detonation mode). If the current sheet reaches the exit of the accelerator before the discharge is completed, the acceleration mode transitions to the deflagration mode type found in the quasi-steady MPD thrusters. This modeling method is used to demonstrate that standard gas-fed pulsed plasma accelerators, the CHENG thruster, and the quasi-steady MPD accelerator are variations of the same device, with the overall acceleration of the plasma depending upon the behavior of the plasma discharge during initial transient phase and the relative lengths of the detonation and deflagration modes of operation.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Computational Modeling of Multi-Phase/Multi-Species Flows with Applications to Liquid Rocket Engines

Accurate prediction of all physical phenomena in a combustion chamber is essential for better understanding of the system performance. Atomization, evaporation, combustion, chemical kinetics, and turbulence are those processes of great importance that need to be well understood. Processes involving the liquid phase in a combustion chamber will be further complicated under supercritical conditions. More advanced and accurate numerical techniques are required to extend our understanding of the above phenomena. A computer program for multi-species/multi-phase flow was developed for NASA/MSFC in 1992. This code, called Liquid Thrust Chamber Performance (LTCP) program takes an Eulerian- Eulerian approach and is based on the Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) technique with Lax-Friedrichs upwind method. Under the NASA/ASEE SFFP the LTCP code was used to predict the performance characteristics of several engines that were of particular interest to NASA. This code was also successful in a combustion detonation study. Converting the program to the PC platform was accomplished which extends usability and makes it available to a wider range of users. The Eulerian formulation of the liquid phase provides a suitable model that can be extended to include combustion modeling under supercritical conditions. The results have been compared against the ones of other codes and available measured data. The algorithm proved to be robust and efficient for problems with stiff source terms.

Navaz, Homayun K.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Experiments on hypersonic ramjet propulsion cycles using a ram accelerator

Work on hypersonic propulsion research using a ram accelerator is presented. Several different ram accelerator propulsive cycles have been experimentally demonstrated over the Mach number range of 3 to 8.5. The subsonic, thermally choked combustion mode has accelerated projectiles to near the Chapman-Jouguet (C-J) detonation velocity within many different propellant mixtures. In the transdetonative velocity regime (85 to 115 percent of C-J speed), projectiles have established a propulsive cycle which allows them to transition smoothly from subdetonative to superdetonative velocities. Luminosity data indicate that the combustion process moves forward onto the projectile body as it approaches the C-J speed. In the superdetonative velocity range, the projectiles accelerate while always traveling faster than the C-J velocity. Ram accelerator projectiles operating continuously through these velocity regimes generate distinctive hypersonic phenomena which can be studied very effectively in the laboratory. These results would be very useful for validating sophisticated CFD computer codes and in collecting engineering data for potential airbreathing hypersonic propulsive systems.

Chew, G.↗

DOE OSTI2024

An MPMD approach coupling electromagnetic continuum mechanics approximations in ALEGRA

In this work, two complementary approximations for describing aspects of continuum electromagnetics in moving media are discussed: electroquasistatic and magnetoquasistatic. Each has been implemented in the finite element shock code ALEGRA for modeling dynamic electromechanical phenomena on typical engineering time scales, with fully integrated circuit coupling. The approximations can be obtained by consistent asymptotic balancing of Maxwell’s equations relative to timescales associated with magnetic diffusion, charge relaxation, and electromagnetic wave propagation. In ALEGRA, the electroquasistatic approximation is used for ferroelectric (FE) modeling, while the magnetoquasistatic approximation is used for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling. In this paper we introduce for the first time a detailed derivation of a useful quasi-steady “low-R m ” variant of the MHD approximation applicable for cases, such as with detonators, where the thermodynamic pressure arising from Joule heating dominates over magnetic forces. An additional purpose of this paper is to present a coupling mode using Multiple Program-Multiple Data (MPMD) message passing communication that allows the user to run 3D FE problems together with 2D and/or 3D MHD problems with the respective simulation domains coupled through a common circuit equation. The MPMD coupling capability is used here to model the dynamic coupling of a notional ferroelectric generator with an RP-87 exploding bridgewire detonator. The simulated bridgewire heats up and bursts under current generated by simulated depoling of the ferroelectric generator, as a demonstration of the MPMD capability.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS2003

Performance Enhancement of Unsteady Ejectors Investigated Using a Pulsejet Driver

Unsteady ejectors are currently under investigation for use in some pulse detonation engine (PDE) propulsion systems. This is due primarily to their potential high performance in comparison to steady ejectors of similar dimensions relative to the source or driver jet. Although some experimental work has been done in the past to study thrust augmentation with unsteady ejectors, there is no proven theory by which optimal design parameters can be selected and an effective ejector constructed for a given pulsed flow. Therefore, an experimental facility was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center to study the correlation between ejector design and performance, and to get a better understanding of the flow phenomena that result in thrust augmentation. A commercially available pulsejet was used for the unsteady driving jet. This was paired with a basic, yet flexible, ejector design that allowed parametric evaluation of the effects that length, diameter, and inlet radius have on performance.

Paxson, Daniel E.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Autoignition - A liquid propellant explosive potential limiting phenomena

It has been thought that the unplanned mixing of the propellants of liquid launch vehicles could result in massive explosion and destruction. This paper presents results of NASA's attempt to develop a precise analytical theory and predictive model for liquid propellant explosives. Prediction model experiments involving a 'seven-chart' approach showing the relationship between yield function, mixing function, time dependence, chemical and physical reactant properties and quantity effects were used to establish a theory that autoignition takes place when propellants mix in a certain 'critical mass' or greater. An analytical confirmation of the theory has been carried out, with particular reference to possible autoignition in LOX/LH2 and LOX/RP-1 and Saturn V: it was confirmed that autoignition occurs and prevents the mixing of more than the 'critical mass' and therefore limits the explosive yield to several thousand pounds, which will disperse the remaining propellant and prohibit detonation of the total quantities otherwise suspected.

Boggs, W. H.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Thrust Augmentation Measurements for a Pulse Detonation Engine Driven Ejector

Thrust augmentation results of an ongoing study of pulse detonation engine driven ejectors are presented and discussed. The experiments were conducted using a pulse detonation engine (PDE) setup with various ejector configurations. The PDE used in these experiments utilizes ethylene (C2H4) as the fuel, and an equi-molar mixture of oxygen and nitrogen as the oxidizer at an equivalence ratio of one. High fidelity thrust measurements were made using an integrated spring damper system. The baseline thrust of the PDE engine was first measured and agrees with experimental and modeling results found in the literature. Thrust augmentation measurements were then made for constant diameter ejectors. The parameter space for the study included ejector length, PDE tube exit to ejector tube inlet overlap distance, and straight versus rounded ejector inlets. The relationship between the thrust augmentation results and various physical phenomena is described. To further understand the flow dynamics, shadow graph images of the exiting shock wave front from the PDE were also made. For the studied parameter space, the results showed a maximum augmentation of 40%. Further increase in augmentation is possible if the geometry of the ejector is tailored, a topic currently studied by numerous groups in the field.

Pal, S.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Detonation propulsion experiments and theory

Test data are presented for the use of a single detonation of explosives in long-cone, short-cone, straight, and firing-plug nozzles to provide propulsion in a simulated Jupiter atmosphere, as well as the ambient gases N, CO2 and He. The long-cone nozzle yielded a progressive increase with ambient pressure for the higher molecular weight gases CO2 and N, while the lower molecular weight He and simulated Jupiter atmosphere showed a specific pulse decrease with increasing ambient pressure. The short-plug nozzle yielded a small specific impulse reduction with increasing ambient pressure, and its results were found to be nearly independent of ambient gas molecular weight. All data gathered are analyzed by using first principles, approximate blast wave theory predictions, and two-dimensional numerical calculations. Rarefaction and oscillatory wave phenomena are found to significantly influence specific impulse.

Back, L. H.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Kinetics of Carbon Condensation in Detonation of High Explosives: First-Order Phase Transition Theory Perspective

We report the kinetics of carbon condensation, or carbon clustering, in detonation of carbon-rich high explosives is modeled by solving a system of rate equations for concentrations of carbon particles. Unlike previous efforts, the rate equations account not only for the aggregation of particles but also for their fragmentation in a thermodynamically consistent manner. Numerical simulations are performed, yielding the distribution of particle concentrations as a function of time. In addition to that, analytical expressions are obtained for all the distinct steps and regimes of the condensation kinetics, which facilitates the analysis of the numerical results and allows one to study the sensitivity of the kinetic behavior to the variation of system parameters. The latter is important because the numerical values of many parameters are not reliably known at present. The theory of the kinetics of first-order phase transitions is found adequate to describe the general kinetic trends of carbon condensation, as described by the rate equations. Such physical phenomena and processes as the coagulation, nucleation, growth, and Ostwald ripening are observed, and their dependence on various system parameters is studied and reported. It is believed that the present work will become useful when analyzing the present and future results for the kinetics of carbon condensation, obtained from experiments or atomistic simulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2025

A novel ignition model for low velocity impact of heterogeneous explosives based on interacting hot spots

While numerous studies have focused on the ignition of explosives occurring in high velocity impact and the associated shock-to-detonation transition, there has been growing interest in developing computational models focused on low-velocity impact regimes. A predictive low-velocity impact ignition model will be important for analyzing high explosive safety and potential accident scenarios. This work introduces a novel ignition model based on the concept of thermally interacting hot spots to simulate low velocity impacted heterogeneous explosives where observed ignition times are on the order of milliseconds. The model asserts that relevant hot spots are micron-sized, the typical separation between neighboring hot spots is on the order of a hundred microns, and that neighbors interact thermally through heat conduction across the interstitial region between them. To achieve tractable numerical solutions, hot spots are assumed to form a periodic array as opposed to the highly irregular positioning in an actual explosive. This idealization allows a single two hotspot system to characterize the ignition process. Consequently, the model is referred to as the two hot spot Frank-Kamenetskii ignition model. In the present study, hot spots are modeled as constant heat sources terms, but this can be extended to include grain-scale phenomena like frictional heating of micron-sized growing cracks that are confined under high pressure. Because the micron-sized features are below the scale that can be efficiently resolved at a systems level, an efficient subscale scheme based on the Method of Weighted Residuals (MWR) is used to efficiently solve the equations. In conclusion, we carry out numerical examples and analytic predictions illustrating the accuracy and the functioning of the model.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗