Detonation arrestors are a key safety component in several gas handling facilities. The arrestor should be able to handle the largest explosion expected in the system. Using numerical simulations, we have studied detonations in conditions characteristic of near-limit mixtures where the wave will fail. When subjected to a one- or two-dimensional perturbation, the detonation initially fails, splitting up into a weak shock, surface discontinuity, and a rarefaction wave. Eventually, the detonation is reignited by a powerful explosion, much stronger than the steady C-J wave, that originates behind the leading shock. The explosions occur as a result of slow chemical heating in a pocket of fluid. In two-dimensions the explosions may occur earlier because the shock structure causes uneven distribution of temperature. The reignition process was analyzed with a one-dimensional model, and the results suggest a simple rule that may be used to evaluate the time and distances for an explosion to occur.

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