Numerical modelling of steady detonations with a variational streamline approach

Previous studies (Watt et al. in J Eng Math 75(1):1, 2012; Cartwright and Falle in J Eng Math 115(1):157, 2019) have shown that a streamline based approach to modelling of steady state detonations can produce good results for rate laws which have maximal reaction at the shock. In this paper we consider a Variational Streamline Approximation (VSA) which introduces streamline curvature. Comparing results with Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) and the existing Straight Streamline Approximation (SSA) model, we find that the VSA improves the predictive accurary of streamlines modelling compared to DNS calculations, capturing the shock front and sonic surfaces with greater accuracy than SSA.