Development of a Computational Method for Prediction of After-Burning Effect

The research objective is to develop a fully functional computational method for prediction of the after-burning effect of different fuels in a wide range of temperature, pressure, and turbulence regimes. Achievement of the objective requires understanding and modeling of key phenomena including (a) post-detonation response of the fuels, (b) near-field coupling of detonation products with particulates, (c) compressibility influences on dispersal of fuels, (d) gas-particle instability mechanisms and turbulent mixing, and (d) diffusion-limited and kinetics-limited ignition, burn and quenching mechanisms for elevated temperature, pressure and cross-flow. A predictive capability would be useful to a broad spectrum of military and non-military applications, including warhead design and lethality/vulnerability assessments. An important commercial application is avoidance of dust explosion accidents causing deaths, injuries and property damage/loss in industries as diverse as mining, agricultural grain storage and wood and plastics processing.