Thermodynamic analysis of afterburning of detonation products in confined explosions

Abstract In the paper, an attempt is undertaken to apply the thermodynamic theory of closed combustion, proposed by A. K. Oppenheim and co-workers, to analyse the process of afterburning of the detonation products of condensed explosives in a chamber filled with air. The principal assumptions of the theory are presented and the problem of combustion of fuel in a closed volume is formulated. The relations between thermodynamic parameters and fuel consumption are determined from the laws of conservation of volume, mass and energy. These relations are used to estimate the rate and heat effect of afterburning of the detonation products of some explosives in a steel chamber of 150 dm3 volume. The influence of assumed degree of mixing of the combustion products and air on the mean pressure in the chamber is discussed.