Parametric study of a moderate pressure nanosecond discharge to reduce detonation cell width

In a former work, the effect of a volumetric nanosecond discharge at decreasing the detonation cell size was demonstrated experimentally. The experiments were performed under non-optimal conditions for plasma homogeneity. The present work is a paremetric study that aims at optimizing these experimental conditions. An electrode system was installed in a tube to |j niduce a double-pulse discharge with high deposited energy ahead of the detonation front. The amplitude of the high-voltage pulses, the gas mixture and pressure were optimized so that the plasma filled the entire interelectrode space. The analysis of the detonation cell size with and without plasma generation was performed via the sooted-plate technique. Production of atoms and radicals in the discharge triggered combustion chemistry and decreased the ignition delay time. At these optimal conditions, the detonation cell size was thus reduced by a factor of 2, while passing through the region of the discharge.