Disturbance energy dynamics in gaseous detonations with varying detonation channel widths

Waves travelling in the transverse direction to a detonation shock front reflect off the walls of the detonation channel and collide with each other creating triple points, which are important to understanding energy dynamics downstream of the front. By analyzing data from direct numerical simulations (DNS) of H2-O2-Ar detonations with varying channel widths, which affects interference and changes the number of triple points produced, this study aims to determine their effects on the disturbance energy budget. The Rayleigh source term, which leads to generation of acoustic waves and the propagating transverse disturbances and is known to be concentrated at triple points is compared between data sets. The individual quantities contributing to the Rayleigh source term differ depending on whether disturbances are assumed to be about a steady base flow or a more physical time-averaged flow. The significance of these contributions is investigated by comparing their magnitudes and the nature of their fluctuations.