Design and Construction of an Annular Detonation Initiator

Grunthaner, M. and Jackson, S. I. and Shepherd, J. E. (2001) Design and Construction of an Annular Detonation Initiator. Technical Report. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.

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Abstract

A device capable of creating a collapsing toroidal detonation wave front has been designed and constructed. The goal is to generate pressures and temperatures at the focal point of the collapsing detonation wave that will be sufficient to initiate detonations in insensitive fuel-air mixtures inside of a detonation tube without blocking the flow path and causing associated losses in propulsive efficiency. The annular initiator uses a single spark and an array of small diameter channels to generate and merge many detonation waves to create a single detonation wave with a toroidal front. The initiator design utilizes shrink fitting as a method to seal the array of channels used in the creation the toroidal front.

EPrint Type:	Monograph (Technical Report)
Additional Information:	This work was supported by the Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, Multidisciplinary Study of Pulse Detonation Engine (Grant 00014-99-0744, subcontract 1686-ONR-0744) and General Electric contract GE-PO-A02 81655. Thanks to Tong-Wa Chao for help with the shrink fit computations, and Joe Haggerty and Brad St. John for CAD/CAM assistance and machining.
Subjects:	All Records
ID Code:	36
Deposited By:	Caltech Library System
Deposited On:	26 May 2005
Record Number:	CaltechGALCITFM:2001.005
Official Persistent URL:	http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechGALCITFM:2001.005
Usage Policy:	You are granted permission for individual, educational, research and non-commercial reproduction, distribution, display and performance of this work in any format.

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