Detonation properties of stoichiometric gaseous n-heptane/oxygen/argon mixtures

A study of detonation velocity and cellular structure for stoichiometric heptane/oxygen and for some stoichiometric heptane/oxygen/argon mixtures is carried out in a shock tube at low initial pressure. The critical conditions for the detonation onset and for the propagation of a self-sustained detonation wave are determined. A simplified form of the ZND model used in conjunction with a validated detailed kinetic model leads to the determination of the proportionality factor, A, between the detonation cell width,;,, and the induction distance, Delta, in the detonation wave. This A factor is of practical importance to estimate the detonation properties of n-heptane based mixtures including n-heptanc/air. The prediction of detonation cell size lambda. for n-heptane based mixtures is discussed according to the recent semi-empirical detonation model of Gavrikov et al. The cell sizes predicted according to this detonation model are underestimated by a factor of about 8. The limitations of this model are underlined when applied to n-heptane based mixtures. (c) 2004 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier file. All rights reserved.