Gaseous detonation fraction of porous materials for enhanced fossil-fuel utilization and recovery

Technical Report · Sun Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:5074462

Kauffman, C W; Yan, C; Nicholls, J A

This study was directed to the feasibility of using gaseous detonation to effect the increase in porosity. Towards that end, a heavy walled pipe (1.829 m long, 0.124 m I.D., and 0.168 m O.D.) was filled with solid spheres. In separate experiments, steel spheres of 19.05 mm and 38.1 mm and ceramic spheres of 38.1 mm were used. The gaseous combustible mixtures tested included hydrogen, methane, and propane, all with oxygen as the oxidizer. A range of elevated initial pressures and mixture equivalence ratios were tested. In each case, the variation of wave velocity and pressure along the tube, as well as the strain (stress) on the outside of the tube, were determined. The spheres caused the detonation velocity to be lower than the theoretical Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) velocity, which would be expected in an open tube of that size. Increase of the initial pressure, diameter of the spheres, and equivalence ratio from lean towards stoichiometric resulted in an increase in detonation velocity (and hence pressure and stress). The material of the sphere had a slight effect; the steel spheres resulted in the higher velocities. The measured velocities and pressures were compared with the calculated CJ values. An approximate one-dimensional steady analytical model, which included energy losses in the reaction zone, was developed. This expression was used to calculate the critical condition wherein the detonation would no longer propagate through the packed bed, thus predicting the minimum sphere diameter required for quenching. Finally, some experiments were conducted wherein a large container was filled with coal, sprayed with water, and allowed to freeze outside. Propane-oxygen was blown through the pile and then detonated. Considerable fracturing was experienced.

• Research Organization: Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor (USA). Dept. of Aerospace Engineering
• DOE Contract Number: FG19-80BC13407
• OSTI ID: 5074462
• Report Number(s): DOE/BC/13407-1; ON: DE82021661
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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