The effect of vent size and congestion in large-scale vented natural gas/air explosions |
| |
| Institution: | 1. School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK;2. DNV GL, Spadeadam Test Site, MoD R5, Gilsland, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 7AU, UK;1. SINOPEC Safety Engineering Institute, 218 Yanansan Road, Qingdao 266071, People''s Republic of China;2. College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao 266042, People''s Republic of China;3. State Key Laboratory of Safety and Control for Chemicals, 218 Yanansan Road, Qingdao 266071, People''s Republic of China;1. INSA Centre Val de Loire, Université d''Orléans, PRISME EA 4229, Bourges, France;2. Air Liquide R&D, Les Loges-en-Josas, BP 126, 78354 Jouy-en-Josas, France;1. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany;2. Pro-Science, Ettlingen, Germany;3. Air Liquide CRCD, Jouy en Josas, France;1. State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China;2. School of Safety Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China;1. School of Chemical Engineering, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, PR China;2. School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, PR China;1. Departamento de Agricultura y Alimentación, Universidad de La Rioja, Av. Madre de Dios 51, 26006, Logroño, Spain;2. Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Química y Diseño Industrial, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ronda de Valencia, 3, 28012, Madrid, Spain;3. Departamento de Ingeniería y Ciencias Agrarias, ESTI Agraria, Universidad de León, Av. Portugal 41, 24071 León, Spain |
| |
| Abstract: | A typical building consists of a number of rooms; often with windows of different size and failure pressure and obstructions in the form of furniture and décor, separated by partition walls with interconnecting doorways. Consequently, the maximum pressure developed in a gas explosion would be dependent upon the individual characteristics of the building. In this research, a large-scale experimental programme has been undertaken at the DNV GL Spadeadam Test Site to determine the effects of vent size and congestion on vented gas explosions. Thirty-eight stoichiometric natural gas/air explosions were carried out in a 182 m3 explosion chamber of L/D = 2 and KA = 1, 2, 4 and 9. Congestion was varied by placing a number of 180 mm diameter polyethylene pipes within the explosion chamber, providing a volume congestion between 0 and 5% and cross-sectional area blockages ranging between 0 and 40%. The series of tests produced peak explosion overpressures of between 70 mbar and 3.7 bar with corresponding maximum flame speeds in the range 35–395 m/s at a distance of 7 m from the ignition point. The experiments demonstrated that it is possible to generate overpressures greater than 200 mbar with volume blockages of as little as 0.57%, if there is not sufficient outflow through the inadvertent venting process. The size and failure pressure of potential vent openings, and the degree of congestion within a building, are key factors in whether or not a building will sustain structural damage following a gas explosion. Given that the average volume blockage in a room in a UK inhabited building is in the order of 17%, it is clear that without the use of large windows of low failure pressure, buildings will continue to be susceptible to significant structural damage during an accidental gas explosion. |
| |
| Keywords: | Congestion Gas explosion Obstacles Vented explosion |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
