Effect of oxygen atom precursors addition on LTC-affected detonation in DME-O2-CO2 mixtures

The effects of ozone ( O 3 ) or nitrogen dioxide ( NO 2 ) as oxygen atom precursors on the characteristic length-scales of low-temperature chemistry (LTC)-affected detonation propagating in dimethyl ether - O 2 - CO 2 mixtures were investigated using the Zeldovich–von Neumann–Döring model. The effect of these two additives on the energy release dynamics and chemical kinetics was analyzed. Under some conditions, up to three steps of energy release were observed. Ozone strengthens the LTC which results in a decrease in the induction zone length along with an increase of the energy release rate. The addition of NO 2 provides chemical pathways which lead to a bypass of the intermediate-temperature chemistry and a decrease in the separation distance between the first and the second steps of energy release. An increase of the energy release rate is also observed for the two first peaks. Among the two additives tested, ozone appears as the most promising to experimentally observe LTC-affected detonation with multi-stage energy release.