The detonation mechanism and propagation laws of the liquid fuel spray process driven by center explosion

Liquid fuel and liquid hazardous chemical storage tanks have become core targets of warfare strikes and terrorist attacks, and the prevention and control of explosion-related disasters are of great significance to public safety. This paper focuses on tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene and isopropyl nitrate as the main subjects of study, establishing a numerical model for internal explosions and subsequent explosive effects of liquid hazardous chemical storage tanks. It investigates the detonation process of typical liquid fuels under the impact of internal explosion sources, revealing the physicochemical mechanisms behind the detonation of typical liquid fuels. Furthermore, it examines the effects of different explosive driving energies on the detonation of liquid fuels. The study found that as the proportion of explosive drive (6%, 9%, 12%, 15%, and 18%) increases, the peak overpressure values at the same location continuously rise, and the farthest proportional distances at which significant chemical reactions can occur extend to 1.48, 1.96, 2.18, 2.35, and 2.38 m kg−1/3, respectively. Moreover, the initiation time of the chemical reaction shows a significant negative correlation with the explosive drive ratio; for every 3% increase in the explosive drive ratio, the reaction initiation time is reduced by an average of ∼0.12 ms. The results of this study provide data support for the explosive hazard effects of liquid fuel tanks.