The role of vorticity and turbulence on the instability of a dense solid particle flow

Abstract

The mechanism of the instability in heterogeneous post-detonation flows, which contain dense solid particles, is yet to be determined due to its physical complexity. Since both strain rate and vorticity are found to play an important role in the particle agglomeration processes, a new criterion is established to represent the tendency of particle agglomeration, either based on divergence of particle velocity related to the difference between strain-rate and vorticity invariants or time derivative of particle volume fraction. The particle jetting phenomenon observed in a heterogeneous explosion is simulated and investigated at mesoscales based on the same numerical platform, which paves the way to investigate the role of vorticity, strain-rate and turbulence in the formation of macroscopic particle jetting. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.