Experimental Study of Detonation in Propane-Air Mix Initiated by Pulse Microwave Discharge

Abstract

The work is devoted to experimental checkup of idea about detonation ignition by means of microwave subcritical discharge in gaseous combustible mix on example of a propane-air mix. Performed experiments surely have shown that microwave subcritical pulse discharge is able to initiate the detonation or combustion in dependence on mix composition and microwave specific power at fixed radiation pulse duration 40 μs. The detonation initiation is possible not only in a case of stoichiometric mix, but at lean fuel mix, at equivalence ratio for fuel less 0.5. Detonation ignition is investigated under action of a deeply subcritical (attached) discharge and of subcritical (streamer) discharge. Character values, at which the detonation has been realized, have been defined.