Detonation waves in multi-temperature reacting gas mixtures

The 1-D steady detonation problem is studied for a mixture of four gases, undergoing a reversible bimolecular reaction. The multi- velocity and multi-temperature governing system provides an Euler level description, which is derived as a principal subsystem of the hyperbolic balance laws obtained from the 13-moment Grad approximation of the reactive Boltzmann equations. Suitable jump conditions for the onset of detonation processes are analysed and the occurrence of compatible stable sub-shocks along the travelling wave solution in the transient is detected. The results confirm the clear drawbacks in dealing with multi-component flows and with implicit constraints induced by chemical equilibrium conditions. The paper aims to highlight the key points to be sorted out to ensure the well-posedness of the detonation problem and to manage sub-shock occurrence.