Influence of inhomogeneous distribution of inflow equivalence ratio on oblique detonation morphology and characteristic

In this paper, numerical simulations using Euler equations coupled detailed chemical reaction model are performed to reveal the influence of inhomogeneous distribution of inflow equivalence ratio (ER) on the morphology and characteristic of oblique detonation in hydrogen/oxygen/argon mixtures. The purpose of this study is to better understand the key parameters’ variation law of oblique detonation flow field under practical flight conditions so as to guide the design of oblique detonation chamber. Within the scope of our simulations, the results show that the oblique detonation wave (ODW) can still be standing under a large ER gradient. The thermodynamic state and characteristic sizes of the flow field reach the maximum value around ER = 0.8. First, the ODW angle and the post-wave temperature/pressure increase with the homogeneous inflow ER. Then, the inhomogeneity of inflow ER is introduced by assuming a lateral linear distribution covering the whole inflow boundary. When the ER increases along the inflow boundary with ER = 0 at the wedge tip, the overall morphology of the ODW presents a concave structure. Inversely, the ODW is convex with ER = 0 at the top outlet. The morphology and characteristic sizes of ODW are determined by the mixture composition in front of the corresponding wave surface. The transition mode of ODW is mainly determined by the ER of the incoming flow in front of the induction region.