The detonation characteristics of dimethyl ether-air, methanol-air and ethanol-air mixtures, initially at atmospheric pressure and a temperature range of 298K to 373K, were investigated in this study. Experiments were performed in a heated detonation tube, 6.1m long with an inner- diameter of 10cm. Transition to detonation was achieved for fuel-air mixtures by spark ignition and subsequent flame acceleration using orifice plate obstacles in the first half of the tube, and via a gas driver with a short orifice plate obstacle section. Cell width measurements where obtained using the soot foil technique for fuel-air mixtures inside the detonation limits. The measurements show that dimethyl ether-air, methanol-air and ethanol-air mixtures are less “sensitive” to detonation than propane-air and ethane-air mixtures, but more sensitive than methane-air mixtures, within the tested temperature range. Soot foil records also indicated the presence of substantial cellular substructure for all three fuel-air mixtures. One-dimensional detonation reaction zone length calculations were performed and fit with the measured cell width using a simple linear correlation, which resulted in an accurate representation of the data. The correlation proportionality constants for dimethyl ether-air, methanol-air and ethanol-air were obtained for the dominant cellular structure as well as the substructure. The values obtained for the substructure are comparable to values reported in the literature for typical hydrocarbons. / Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2012-08-30 17:15:05.169
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OKQ.1974/7428 |
| Date | 06 September 2012 |
| Creators | Diakow, PETER |
| Contributors | Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Theses (Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)) |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. |
| Relation | Canadian theses |
Page generated in 0.0022 seconds