Venting of deflagrations: hydrocarbon–air and hydrogen–air systems

A set of 34 experiments on vented hydrocarbon–air and hydrogen–air deflagrations in unobstructed enclosures of volume up to 4000 m³ was processed with use of the advanced lumped parameter approach. Reasonable compliance between calculated pressure–time curves and experimental pressure traces is demonstrated for different explosion conditions, including high, moderate, low and extremely low reduced overpressures in enclosures of different shape (L_max:L_min up to 6:1) with different type and position of the ignition source relative to the vent, for near-stoichiometric air mixtures of acetone, methane, natural gas and propane, as well as for lean and stoichiometric hydrogen–air mixtures. New data were obtained on flame stretch for vented deflagrations.The fundamental Le Chatelier–Brown principle analog for vented deflagrations has been considered in detail and its universality has been confirmed. The importance of this principle for explosion safety engineering has been emphasized and proved by examples.A correlation for prediction of the deflagration–outflow interaction number, χ/μ, on enclosure scale, Bradley number and vent release pressure is suggested for unobstructed enclosures and a wide range of explosion conditions. Fractal theory has been employed to verify the universality of the dependence revealed of the deflagration–outflow interaction number on enclosure scale.In spite of differences between the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of hydrocarbon–air and hydrogen–air systems, they both obey the same general regularities for vented deflagrations, including the Le Chatelier–Brown principle analog and the correlation for deflagration–outflow interaction number.     

Explosions of gasoline–air mixture in the tunnels containing branch configuration

In order to investigate the effects of branch tunnels on explosion propagation, experiments were performed in five different configuration tunnels (straight configuration and configurations with 1 branch, 2 branches, 3 branches and 4 branches). Pressure and flame transducers were used to record the history of the pressure development and track the velocity of the flame front. It was shown that the branch tunnels had ability to enhance the maximum overpressure, rate of overpressure rise, and deflagration index (K_G) of the gasoline–air mixture explosion due to the turbulence induced by the branch tunnels. The overpressure rise rate and K_G of the explosion increased as a function of the number of branch tunnels. Experiments also showed that the maximum flame speed increased as the branch number increasing from 0 to 3 due to the enlargement of turbulence induced by the branch tunnels. However, an increase of branch number did not always lead to an enhancement of flame speed because the heat loss was intensified resulting from the increase of flame surface caused by the branch tunnels. When the number of branch tunnels exceeded 3, the maximum flame speed dropped.     

Explosion behavior of hydrogen–methane/air mixtures

The effects of enriching natural gas with hydrogen on local flame extinction, combustion instabilities and power output have been widely studied for both stationary and mobile systems. On the contrary, the issues of explosion safety for hydrogen–methane mixtures are still under investigation.In this work, experimental tests were performed in a 5 L closed cylindrical vessel for explosions of hydrogen–methane mixtures in stoichiometric air. Different compositions of hydrogen–methane were tested (from pure methane to pure hydrogen) at varying initial pressures (1, 3 and 6 bar).Results have allowed the quantification of the combined effects of both mixture composition (i.e., hydrogen content in the fuel) and initial pressure on maximum pressure, maximum rate of pressure rise and burning velocity. The measured burning velocities were also correlated by means of a Le Chatelier’s Rule-like formula. Good predictions have been obtained (at any initial pressure), except for mixtures with hydrogen molar content in the fuel higher than 50%.     

LES – DFSD modelling of vented hydrogen explosions in a small-scale combustion chamber

Accidental explosions are a plausible danger to the chemical process industries. In the event of a gas explosion, any obstacles placed within the path of the flame generate turbulence, which accelerates the transient flame and raises explosion overpressure, posing a safety hazard. This paper presents numerical studies using an in-house computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for lean premixed hydrogen/air flame propagations with an equivalence ratio of 0.7. A laboratory-scale combustion chamber is used with repeated solid obstacles. The transient compressible large eddy simulation (LES) modelling technique combined with a dynamic flame surface density (DFSD) combustion model is used to carry out the numerical simulations in three-dimensional space. The study presented uses eight different baffle configurations with two solid obstructions, which have area blockage ratios of 0.24 and 0.5. The flame speed, maximum rate of pressure-rise as well as peak overpressure magnitude and timing are presented and discussed. Numerical results are validated against available published experimental data. It is concluded that, increasing the solid obstacle area blockage ratio and the number of consecutive baffles results in a raised maximum rate of pressure rise, higher peak explosion overpressure and faster flame propagation. Future model development would require more experimental data, probably in a more congested configuration.     

Effect of ignition position on vented hydrogen–air deflagration in a 1 m3 vessel

This study investigates the effect of the ignition position on vented hydrogen-air deflagration in a 1 m³ vessel and evaluates the performance of the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLACS in simulating the vented explosion of hydrogen-air mixtures. First, the differences in the measured pressure-time histories for various ignition locations are presented, and the mechanisms responsible for the generation of different pressure peaks are explained, along with the flame behavior. Secondly, the CFD software FLACS is assessed against the experimental data. The characteristic phenomena of vented explosion are observed for hydrogen-air mixtures ignited at different ignition positions, such as Helmholtz oscillation for front ignition, the interaction between external explosion and combustion inside the vessel for central ignition, and the wall effect for back-wall ignition. Flame-acoustic interaction are observed in all cases, particularly in those of front ignition and very lean hydrogen-air mixtures. The predicted flame behavior agree well with the experimental data in general while the simulated maximum overpressures are larger than the experimental values by a factor of 1.5–2, which is conservative then would lead to a safe design of explosion panels for instance. Not only the flame development during the deflagration was well-simulated for the different ignition locations, but also the correspondence between the pressure transients and flame behavior was also accurately calculated. The comparison of the predicted results with the experimental data shows the performance of FLACS to model vented mixtures of hydrogen with air ignited in a lab scale vessel. However, the experimental scale is often smaller than that used in practical scenarios, such as hydrogen refueling installations. Thus, future large-scale experiments are necessary to assess the performance of FLACS in practical use.     

Experimental investigation of hydrogen–air deflagrations and detonations in semi-confined flat layers

This paper presents results of an experimental investigation on the deflagration and deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) in an obstructed (blockage ratio BR = 50%), semi-confined flat layer filled with uniform hydrogen–air mixtures. The effect of mixture reactivity depending on flat layer thickness and its width is studied to evaluate the critical conditions for sonic flame propagation and the possibility for detonation onset. The experiments were performed in a transparent, rectangular channel with a length of 2.5 m. The flat layer thickness was varied from 0.06 to 0.24 m and the experiments were performed for different channel widths of 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 m. The experimental results show flame velocity vs. hydrogen concentration for different thicknesses and widths of the semi-confined flat layer. Three different flame propagation regimes were observed: slow subsonic flame (M << 1), sonic deflagration (M ～ 1) and detonation (M >> 1). It is shown that flame acceleration (FA) to sonic speed is independent of the width of the flat layer. The critical expansion ratio for effective flame acceleration to sonic speed was found to be linearly dependent on the reciprocal layer thickness.     

Comparative assessment of the explosion characteristics of alcohol–air mixtures

Explosion characteristics of five alcohol–air (ethanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 2-pentanol and 3-pentanol) mixtures were experimentally conducted in an isochoric chamber over wide ranges of initial temperature and pressure. The effect of temperature and pressure on the different explosion behaviors among these alcohols with various structures were investigated. Results show that the peak explosion pressure is increased with the decrease of temperature and increase of pressure. Maximum rate of pressure rise is insensitive to the temperature variation while it significantly increases with the increase of initial pressure. Among the 1-, 2-, and 3-pentanol–air mixtures, 1-pentanol has the highest values in peak explosion pressure and maximum rate of pressure rise and 2-pentanol gives the lowest values at the initial pressure of 0.1 MPa. These differences tend to be decreased with the increase of initial pressure. Among the three primary alcohol–air (ethanol, 1-butanol and 1-pentanol) mixtures, a similar explosion behavior is presented at the lean mixture side because of the combined effect of adiabtic temperature and flame propagation speed. At the rich mixture side, 1-pentanol gives the highest values in peak explosion pressure and maximum rate of pressure rise and ethanol gives the lowest values. This phenomenon can be interpretated from the combining influence of heat release and heat loss, since the flame speeds of ethanol-, 1-butanol-, 1-pentanol–air mixtures are close at rich mixture side.     

Large eddy simulation of methane–air deflagration in an obstructed chamber using different combustion models

In this paper, simulations of methane–air deflagration inside a semi-confined chamber with three solid obstacles have been carried out with large eddy simulation (LES) technique. Three sub-grid scale (SGS) combustion models, including power-law flame wrinkling model by Charlette et al., turbulent flame speed closure (TFC) model, and eddy dissipation model (EDM), are applied. All numerical results have been compared to literature experimental data. It is found that the power-law flame wrinkling model by Charlette et al. is able to better predict the generated pressure and other flame features, such as flame structure, position, speed and acceleration against measured data. Based on the power-law flame wrinkling model, the flame–vortex interaction during the deflagration progress is also investigated. The results obtained have demonstrated that higher turbulence levels, induced by obstacles, wrinkle the flame and then increase its surface area, the burning rates and the flame speed.     

Experimental investigation of fast flame propagation in stratified hydrogen–air mixtures in semi-confined flat layers

This paper presents results of an experimental investigation on fast flame propagation and the deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) and following detonation propagation in a semi-confined flat layer filled with stratified hydrogen–air mixtures. The experiments were performed in a transparent, rectangular channel open from below. The combustion channel has a width of 0.3 m and a length of 2.5 m. The effective layer thickness in the channel was varied by using different linear hydrogen concentration gradients. The method to create quasi-linear hydrogen concentration gradients that differ in the range and slope is also presented. The ignited mixtures were accelerated quickly to sonic flame speed in the first obstructed part of the channel. The interaction of the fast flame propagation with different obstacle set-ups was studied in the second part of the channel. The experimental results show an initiation of DDT by one additional metal grid in the obstructed semi-confined flat layer. Detonation propagation and failed detonation propagation were observed in obstructed and unobstructed parts of the channel.     

Study of the spontaneous ignition of stoichiometric tetrafluoroethylene–air mixtures at elevated pressures

The Ignition Temperature (IT) of stoichiometric tetrafluoroethylene–air mixtures on hot walls was determined in a 3-dm³-reactor. Tests at elevated pressure conditions were performed, namely at 5, 15 and 25 bar(a), showing a decrease of the IT with the initial pressure. Furthermore, the measured ignition temperatures of stoichiometric tetrafluoroethylene–air mixtures were lower than the ignition temperatures required for the decomposition pure tetrafluoroethylene (Minimum Ignition Temperature of Decomposition, MITD) reported in previous works.Equations from the Semenov thermal explosion theory on spontaneous ignition were used to identify approximate combustion kinetics of tetrafluoroethylene from the experimental results. The determined kinetics was used for the prediction of the IT of stoichiometric tetrafluoroethylene-air by simplified calculation methods. A very good agreement with the experimental results was observed.     

Study of the explosion parameters of vapor–liquid diethyl ether/air mixtures

The knowledge of the vapor–liquid two-phase diethyl ether (DEE)/air mixtures (mist) on the explosion parameters was an important basis of accident prevention. Two sets of vapor–liquid two-phase DEE/air mixtures of various concentrations were obtained with Sauter mean diameters of 12.89 and 22.90 μm. Experiments were conducted on vapor–liquid two-phase DEE/air mixtures of various concentrations at an ignition energy of 40.32 J and at an initial room temperature and pressure of 21 °C and 0.10 MPa, respectively. The effects of the concentration and particle size of DEE on the explosion pressure, the explosion temperature, and the lower and upper flammability limits were analyzed. Finally, a series of experiments was conducted on vapor–liquid two-phase DEE/air mixtures of various concentrations at various ignition energies. The minimum ignition energies were determined, and the results were discussed. The results were also compared against our previous work on the explosion characteristics of vapor–liquid two-phase n-hexane/air mixtures.     

Numerical simulation of premixed methane–air deflagration in a semi-confined obstructed chamber

In this paper, large eddy simulation coupled with a turbulent flame speed cloure (TFC) subgrid combustion model has been utilized to simulate premixed methane–air deflagration in a semi-confined chamber with three obstacles mounted inside.The computational results are in good agreement with published experimental data, including flame structures, pressure time history and flame speed. The attention is focused on the flame flow field interaction, pressure dynamics, as well as the mechanism of obstacle-induced deflagration. It is found that there is a positive feedback mechanism established between the flame propagation and the flow field. The pressure time history can be divided into four stages and the pseudo-combustion concept is proposed to explain the pressure oscillation phenomenon. The obstacle-induction mechanism includes direct effect and indirect effect, but do not always occur at the same time.     

Limiting explosible concentration of hydrogen–oxygen–helium mixtures related to the practical operational case

This paper presents data on the limiting (minimum) concentrations of hydrogen in oxygen, in the presence of added helium, at elevated temperature and pressure related to the practical operational case. A 5 L explosion vessel, an ignition sub-system and a transient pressure measurement sub-system were used. Through a series of experiments carried out using this system, the limiting concentrations of hydrogen in oxygen and helium at different initial pressures and temperatures for the practical operational case were studied, and the influence of ignition energy and initial temperature on the limiting concentration of hydrogen in oxygen and helium was analyzed and discussed. The variation of ignition energy within the studied range is found to have a significant effect on the limiting concentration of hydrogen in oxygen and helium at lower initial temperature. However, when the ignition energy is higher than 32 mJ, the limiting hydrogen concentration remains almost changeless as the initial temperature increases from 21 °C to 90 °C. The limiting explosible concentration of hydrogen–oxygen–helium mixture decreases as the ignition energy increases when the initial temperature is lower. When the initial temperature is higher, the ignition energy has little effect on the limiting hydrogen concentration of hydrogen–oxygen–helium mixtures. When the initial temperature reaches 90 °C, the limiting hydrogen concentration remains almost changeless with an increase in ignition energy. The limiting explosible concentration of hydrogen in the mixtures, at the initial temperature of 21 °C and the ignition energy of 0.5 mJ, is 8.5% and that of oxygen is 11.25%.     

Leak detection of hydrogen–natural gas mixtures in pipes using the characteristics method of specified time intervals

This paper presents a technique for detection and location of leaks in a single pipe, by means of transient analysis, of hydrogen–natural gas mixtures flows. The method uses transient pressure waves initiated by the sudden closure of a downstream shut-off valve. The presence of a leak in a pipe partially reflects these pressure waves and allows for the location of the leak. Pressure waves are governed by two coupled non-linear, hyperbolic partial differential equations with pressure dependent coefficients. The fluid pressure and velocity are considered as two principal dependent variables. To determine the leak location, the mathematical formulation has been solved by the characteristics method of specified time intervals. The computed results describe the influence of the leak on pressure time-history and the effect of hydrogen mass fraction in the mixture on the leak discharge behaviour. It was found that transient pressure is much important in the case of hydrogen than that in the case of natural gas.     

An examination of the increases in pedestrian motor-vehicle crash fatalities during 2009–2016

IntroductionPedestrian fatalities increased 46% in the United States during 2009–2016. This study identified circumstances under which the largest increases in deaths occurred during this period.MethodAnnual counts of U.S. pedestrian fatalities and crash involvements were extracted from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and General Estimates System. Poisson regression examined if pedestrian fatalities by various roadway, environmental, personal, and vehicle factors changed significantly during 2009–2016. Linear regression examined changes over the study period in pedestrian deaths per 100 crash involvements and in horsepower per 1000 pounds of weight among passenger vehicles involved in fatal single-vehicle pedestrian crashesResultsPedestrian deaths per 100 crash involvements increased 29% from 2010, when they reached their lowest point, to 2015, the most recent year for which crash involvement data were available. The largest increases in pedestrian deaths during 2009–2016 occurred in urban areas (54% increase from 2009 to 2016), on arterials (67% increase), at nonintersections (50% increase), and in dark conditions (56% increase). The rise in the number of SUVs involved in fatal single-vehicle pedestrian crashes (82% increase) was larger than the increases in the number of cars, vans, pickups, or medium/heavy trucks involved in these crashes. The power of passenger vehicles involved in fatal single-vehicle pedestrian crashes increased over the study period, with larger increases in vehicle power among more powerful vehicles.ConclusionsEfforts to turn back the recent increase in pedestrian fatalities should focus on the conditions where the rise has been the greatest.Practical applicationsTransportation agencies can improve urban arterials by investing in proven countermeasures, such as road diets, median crossing islands, pedestrian hybrid beacons, and automated speed enforcement. Better road lighting and vehicle headlights could improve pedestrian visibility at night.     

Effects of obstacles and deposited coal dust on characteristics of premixed methane–air explosions in a long closed pipe

An experimental system including pressure transducer, electric spark ignition device, data acquisition and control unit was set up to investigate methane–air explosions in a horizontal pipe closed at both ends with or without the presence of obstacles and deposited coal dust. The experimental results show that explosion characteristics depended on the methane content, on the layout of obstacles, and on the deposited coal dust. Pressure fluctuation with a frequency of 150 Hz appeared in its crest when the methane content was close to the stoichiometric ratio (9.5% methane percentage by volume). The pressure rise rate increased locally when a single obstacle was mounted in the pipe, but it had little effect on the pressure peak. Repeated obstacles mounted in the pipe caused the pressure to rise sharply, and the mean maximum explosion overpressure increased with the increase of the obstacle’s number. The amplitude of pressure fluctuation was reduced when deposited coal dust was paved in the bottom of the pipe. However, when repeated obstacles were arranged inside, the maximum overpressures were higher with coal dust deposited than pure gas explosions.     

The effect of orifice plates with different shapes on explosion propagation of premixed methane–air in a semi-confined pipeline

The effect of internal shape of obstacles on the deflagration of premixed methane–air (concentration of 10%) was experimentally investigated in a semi-confined steel pipeline (with a square cross section size of 80 mm × 80 mm and 4 m long). The obstacles used in this study were circular, square, triangular and gear-shaped (4-teeth, 6-teeth and 8-teeth) orifice plates with a blockage ratio of 75%, and the perimeter of the orifice was regarded as a criterion for determining the sharpness of the orifice plate. The overpressure history, flame intensity histories, flame front propagation speed, maximum flame intensity and peak explosion overpressure were analyzed. The explosion in the pipeline can be divided into two stages: initial explosion and secondary explosion. The secondary explosion is caused by recoiled flame. The perimeter is positively related to the intensity of the recoiled flame and the ability of orifice plate to suppress the explosion propagation. In addition, the increase in the perimeter will cause the acceleration of the flame passing through the orifice plate, while after the perimeter of the orifice reaches a certain value, the effect of the increase in perimeter on explosion excitation becomes no obvious. The overpressure (static pressure) downstream of the orifice plate is the result of the combined effect of explosion intensity and turbulence. The increase in perimeter leads to the increase in turbulence downstream of the orifice plate which in turn causes more explosion pressure to be converted into dynamic pressure.     

Developments in inherent safety: A review of the progress during 2001–2011 and opportunities ahead

This paper reviews the progress in inherent safety. A summary of the historical developments up to the year 2000 is first presented which sets the stage for a review of the key developments during the first 11 years of the 21st century. A landscape of inherent safety is developed by mapping publications on two coordinates. The first coordinate, the risk coordinate, indicates if the focus of a paper relates to inherent hazard or to the likelihood of events. The second coordinate, the management coordinate, focuses on the ways and means to understand and assess inherent safety. Out of the 187 papers that have appeared over this 11-year period, 131 pertained to developments in inherently safer design; these have been organized on the proposed landscape. The rest introduce the basic concepts of inherent safety and address its incorporation into regulation, education and accident investigation. These along with the application of inherent safety in industry are also discussed. We conclude with a discussion on recent trends in industry and suggest directions for future research.     

Effects of work surface and task difficulty on neck–shoulder posture and trapezius activity during a simulated mouse task

Objectives. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of the work surface and task difficulty on the head, upper back and upper arm postures and activity of the descending trapezius during a simulated mouse task. Methods. Healthy female university students (N?=?15) were evaluated. The work surface was positioned at elbow height (EH) and above elbow height (AEH) and the task difficulty was set at low (LD) and high (HD) levels. The postures were recorded by inclinometers. Trapezius activity was normalized by the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). Results. Significantly higher head flexion was found at EH compared to the AEH condition, with an average difference of 2°–5° at the same difficulty level. The HD task significantly increased head (3°–6°) and upper back flexion (6°–7°) at the same table height. For upper arm elevation and trapezius activation, the AEH condition presented higher upper arm elevation (about 6°–8°) and trapezius activity (0.8–1.4% of MVIC), regardless of the difficulty level of the task. Conclusions. Head posture was influenced by the table height and task difficulty; the upper back posture by high difficulty; and upper arm posture and trapezius activity were only influenced by table height.     

Overview of a combined computational–experimental evaluation for the assessment of panoramic sunroof impact characteristics for ejection mitigation

Abstract

Objective: To meet increasing customer demand, many vehicle manufacturers are now offering a panoramic sunroof option in their vehicle lineup. Currently, there is no regulatory or consumer test aimed at assessing the potential for ejection mitigation of roof glazing, which leaves manufacturers to develop internal performance standards to guide designs. The goal of this study was to characterize the variety of occupant-to-roof impacts involving unbelted occupants in rollover crashes to determine the ranges of possible effective masses and impact velocities. This information can be used to define occupant retention requirements and performance criteria for roof glazing in occupant ejection protection.

Methods: This study combined computational (MADYMO and LS-Dyna) simulations of occupant kinematics in rollover crashes with laboratory rollover crash tests using the dynamic rollover test system (DRoTS) and linked them through controlled anthropomorphic test device (ATD)-to-roof (“drop”) impact tests. The DRoTS and the ATD drop tests were performed to explore impact scenarios and estimate dummy-to-roof impact impulses. Next, 13 sets of vehicle kinematics and deformation data were extracted from a combination of vehicle dynamics and finite element model simulations that reconstructed variations of rollover crash cases from the field data. Then occupant kinematics data were extracted from a full-factorial sensitivity study that used MADYMO simulations to investigate how changes in anthropometry and seating position would affect occupant–roof impacts across all 13 cases. Finite element (FE) simulations of ATD and Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) human body model (HBM) roof impacts were performed to investigate the most severe cases from the MADYMO simulations to generate a distribution of head-to-roof impact energies.

Results: From the multiparameter design of experiment and experimental study, kinematics and energy output were extracted and analyzed. Based on dummy-to-roof impact force and dummy-to-roof impact velocity, the most severe rollover scenarios were identified. In the DRoTS experiments followed by the drop tests, the range of identified impact velocities was between 2 and 5.8 m/s. However, computational simulations of the rollover crashes showed higher impact velocities and similar effective masses. The largest dummy-to-roof impact velocity was 11 m/s.

Conclusions: This study combined computational and experimental analyses to determine a range of possible unbelted occupant-to-roof impact energies. These results can be used to determine design parameters for an impactor for the assessment of the risk of roof glazing ejection for unbelted occupants in rollover crashes.