Liquid Fuel Droplet Dynamics in Gaseous Detonations

Gaseous detonations have complex three dimensional structures known as detonation cells. These cells generally decrease in velocity from their inception, which leads to the local velocity fluctuating throughout the detonation’s propagation. Of interest for the development of detonation engines is the implementation of liquid fuel rather than gaseous fuel. This is due to liquid fuel’s higher energy density and ease of storage. However, before liquid fuel can ignite, the fluid must vaporize completely. Studies have shown that liquid droplet size affects the rate at which detonations develop, and that liquid fuel droplets positively affect detonations. Additionally, droplet deformation models have been attempted to be developed for nonreacting strong shock waves. Using high-speed microscopy shadowgraph, this study aims to observe the dynamics of liquid droplets in the presence of a gaseous detonation.