Deflagration to Detonation Transitions in Propylene Oxide-Oxygen Mixtures

Abstract

Mixtures of propylene oxide and oxygen have been ignited in a detonation tube by controlled electric sparks. The equivalence ratios investigated were between 0.55 and 2.8 and initial pressures ranged from 65 to 650 torr. Time and distance where transition from deflagration to detonation occurred were measured as functions of the mixture ratio. initial pressures and spark energy. The occurrence of DDT was determined by timing the change in light intensity of the reaction front. Pressure was also detected by transducers along the tube. The two sets of measurements supplemented each other. Good agreement has been found between the experimental measurements and CJ calculations.

The present data are compared with formerly reported experiments on ethylene-oxygen. hexane-oxygen and heptane-oxygen mixtures.