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.     

Minimum Ignition Temperature of layer and cloud dust mixtures

The prevention of dust explosions is still a challenge for the process industry. Ignition, in particular, is a phenomenon that is still not completely understood. As a consequence, safety conditions pertaining to ignition suppression are rarely identified to an adequate level. It is well known that, in general, the ignition attitude of a dust depends on several factors, such as the nature of the chemical, the particle size, moisture content, etc., but there is still a lack of knowledge on the effect of the single variables.This paper has the aim of providing data on the Minimum Ignition Temperatures of dust mixtures obtained from a mixing of a combustible dust (flour, lactose, sucrose, sulphur) and an inert dust (limestone, extinguishing powders) as well as from the mixing of two different combustible dusts. Various mixtures with different weight ratios have been tested in a Godbert Greenwald (GG) furnace and on a hot plate in order to measure the effect of mixture composition on the Minimum Ignition Temperature (MIT_L) of the layer and on the Minimum Ignition Temperature (MIT_C) of the cloud. In order to further verify the effects of inert dust particle size, inerts sieved to different size ranges have been tested separately. Generally, both MIT_L and MIT_C increase as the inert content is increased. MIT_C is poorly affected by inert particle size when limestone is used. The MIT_L of pure flour is higher than the MIT_L of mixtures containing up to 40% of 32–75 μm of limestone. This was probably due to the behaviour of pure flour during the test, which demonstrated strong tendency to produce char, cracks in the layer and detachment from the hot plate.     

Study of lignocellulosic biomass ignition properties estimation from thermogravimetric analysis

In the last decade, the use of renewable resources has increased significantly in order to reduce the energetic dependence on fossil fuels, as they have an important contribution to the global warning and greenhouse gasses effect. Because of that, research on biofuels has been increased in the last years as its characteristics of use match those of the conventional fuel's: solid biomass can be used instead of coals, and biodiesel could replace diesel. Research on solid biomass ignition properties has been considerably developed because of the amount of industrial accidents related to the treatment and use of solid biomass (self-ignition, dust explosions, etc.). On the other hand, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is becoming and important characterization technique as it can be used to determine a wide spectrum of properties, such as kinetics, composition, proximate analysis, etc. This research aims to combine thermal analysis and ignition properties, by using the TGA to obtain the elemental composition of lignocellulosic biomass and compare those results to Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) values test output, so a relation between composition and MIE can be found.To achieve this aim, biomass samples from different origins have been used: oil palm wastes (empty fruit bunches, mesocarp fiber and palm kernel shell), agricultural wastes (straw chops) and forestry wastes (wood chips and wood powder). Also, raw materials and torrefied biomass were compared. The hemicellulose/cellulose ratio was calculated and compared to different flammability properties, finding out that the greater the ratio and the lower the onset temperature (temperature at which the pyrolysis reaction accelerates), the lower was the minimum ignition energy. From this basis it was possible to define “tendency areas” that grouped the samples whose MIE values were similar. Three tendency areas were found: high minimum ignition energy, medium minimum ignition energy, and low ignition energy.     

飞火和热辐射耦合作用点燃松针的实验研究

飞火颗粒点燃和火焰辐射引燃是森林-城镇交界域火灾两种主要引燃方式。已有很多研究关注单种引燃方式,但缺乏二者耦合作用下的引燃机理研究。实验研究了热颗粒与热辐射耦合作用下松针燃料床的点燃行为,分析了热颗粒尺寸、温度及辐射热通量对点燃特性的影响。实验结果表明:热颗粒和热辐射耦合作用的点燃危险性远远高于热颗粒或者热辐射单独作用下的点燃危险性。耦合作用时,点燃概率随颗粒尺寸、温度和辐射热通量增大而增大,热颗粒临界点燃温度以及临界辐射热通量均随热颗粒尺寸增大而降低;阴燃向明火转变的点燃时间随辐射热通量增大而降低,但与颗粒状态呈现出较为复杂的关系。     

Analysis of the self-heating process of tetrafluoroethylene in a 100-dm3-reactor

There is a lack of data on the self-ignition behaviour of tetrafluoroethylene in industrial sized equipment. Therefore, a facility was designed and constructed for the determination of the Minimum Ignition Temperature of Decomposition of tetrafluoroethylene in a cylindrical reactor with a volume of 100 dm³. Tests with initial pressures of 5 and 10 bar(a) were performed. The Minimum Ignition Temperature of Decomposition of tetrafluoroethylene was observed to decrease with the initial pressure, in agreement with previous experiments with small scale cylindrical vessels. This paper describes the test set-up und gives an overview of the achieved experimental results. In particular the effect of the reactor orientation (vertical or horizontal) is discussed. Furthermore, simplified equations from the Semenov thermal explosion theory are used to attempt extrapolations of previous and current data on the Minimum Ignition Temperature of Decomposition of tetrafluoroethylene to other vessel volumes or initial pressures. Moreover, the experimental data are plotted together against the heated volume to heated surface ratio, which should provide a better extrapolation to other vessel dimensions by taking into account that the efficiency of the dispersion of the heat generated by the reaction is different for two reactors with the same volume but different diameter. Finally, simplified methods for predicting the Minimum Ignition Temperature of Decomposition of tetrafluoroethylene presented previously by the authors are validated for large scale reactors with the experimental data collected within the current work.     

Methane–air mixtures ignited by CW laser-heated targets on optical fiber tips: Comparison of targets,optical fibers,and ignition delays

Fiber optic systems are being deployed in locations where explosive gas atmospheres are normally present or are present under fault conditions. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (NIOSH, PRL) conducted a study of laser safety in potentially flammable environments. Researchers conducted experiments to estimate the mean and standard deviation of laser powers needed to ignite 6% methane–air atmospheres using single mode optical fiber tips covered by two types of iron oxide (Fe₃O₄ and (FeMn)₂O₃) mixed with a ceramic adhesive. The iron oxides, heated by a 1064 nm continuous wave laser, ignited the methane–air mixtures at similar powers. The minimum igniting power and maximum non-igniting power (10 tests) were 407 and 350 mW, respectively, using a 62.5 μm fiber. Laser beams guided by 125 and 80 μm diameter cladding single mode fibers produced similar methane–air igniting powers. Ignition was not observed using coal particles at powers that produced ignition with the iron oxides. Threshold ignition delays using the single mode fiber were approximately proportional to the inverse square of the igniting power. Ignition delays were significantly longer than the reported activation time for a commercial fiber optic power limiter. Comparisons are made with the results of other researchers.     

焊接防护具抗热穿透性能测试仪的研制

焊接防护具是指一种保护佩戴者免受由焊接或相关作业所产生的有害光辐射及其他特定有害因素的装置。它是从事焊接与热切割作业人员必备的个体防护装备。抗热穿透性能是表征焊接防护具产品质量和安全性能的最重要技术指标之一。然而,如何快速、便捷、节能、准确地对焊接防护具抗热穿透性能进行检测,是迫切需要解决的技术难题。本文在简要分析国内外眼面部防护标准中抗热穿透性能技术要求和测试方法的基础上,提出了一种测试焊接防护具抗热穿透性能的方法,并成功研制了焊接防护具抗热穿透性能测试仪。     

The effects of phosphorus-free inhibitors on the ignition of lycopodium dust

The minimum ignition temperature of dust suspension (MIT) and the hot surface ignition temperature of the dust layer (LIT) are essential safety parameters for the process industry. However, the knowledge of the ignition behavior when solid mixtures of flammable fuels and phosphorous-free inhibitors are considered is still scarce and further experimental and theoretical analyses are requested. In this work, the ignition temperature of phosphorous-free inhibitors (coal fly ash and calcium carbonate) mixed with lycopodium dust have been studied in terms of LIT analysis (hot plate thickness: 5 mm, 12.5 mm and 15 mm), and by the Godbert-Greenwald test for the MIT. Both coal fly ash and calcium carbonate have been tested at different concentrations and particle sizes.Results show that the effects of the inhibitor can be counter-productive when layer ignition temperature is considered even if the minimum ignition temperature of the dust suspension shows a positive effect from the safety point of view. This behavior has been analyzed in the terms of thermal conductivity and diffusivity of the mixture, by using Maxwell's equation for two-phase solid mixtures. Standard empirical correlations for the ignition temperature of solid mixtures have been also tested, showing their weakness in reproducing mixture behavior.     

Study on the influence of material thermal characteristics on dust explosion parameters of three long-chain monobasic alcohols

Sensitivity and severity parameters are critical for risk assessment and safety management of dust explosions. In this paper, to reveal the effects of material thermal characteristics on dust explosions parameters during monobasic alcohols dust explosions, three long chain monobasic alcohols, being solid at room temperature and similar in physical–chemical properties, were chosen to carry out experiments in different functional test apparatus according to the internationally accepted ASTM standards. As a result, it was found that the material thermal characteristics strongly affected these basic explosive parameters. On the one hand, for the sensitivity parameters, Minimum Ignition Temperature, Minimum Ignition Energy and Electrical Resistivity were the highest in the Eicosanol dust cloud, while Minimum Explosible Concentration in this cloud was the lowest. On the other hand, for severity parameters, Maximum Explosion Pressure in Eicosanol dust cloud always maintained the highest values as varying the dust concentrations. In contrast, Deflagration Index showed a complex trend.     

Study of dust cloud behaviour in the modified Hartmann tube using the image subtraction method (ISM)

A dispersion of fine particles in the air is needed for a dust explosion to occur since an explosion is the fast combustion of particles in the air. When particles are poorly dispersed, agglomerated, or their concentration is low, the combustion velocity decreases, and deflagration would not occur. The combustion rate is strictly related to dust concentration. Therefore, the maximum explosion pressure rise occurs at dust concentration close to stoichiometric. Conversely, Minimum Explosion Concentration (MEC) is the lower limit at which self-sustained combustion and a pressure rise are possible. Dust explosion tests are designed to reproduce the dispersion and generation of dust clouds in industrial ambiences by using dispersion devices activated by pressurised air pulses. The resulting dust cloud, which has a marked transient character, is considered representative of real clouds by current standards. Over time, several studies have been carried out to optimise these devices (e.g. to reduce the inhomogeneity of the cloud in the 20 L sphere). The Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) of dust is measured using the Mike3 modified Hartmann tube, where the ignition attempt is made 60–180 ms after dust dispersion regardless of dust characteristics.This work investigates the dust clouds’ actual behaviour inside the modified Hartmann tube before ignition using high-velocity video movies and a new image post-treatment method called Image Subtraction Method (ISM). Movies are recorded with high-speed cameras at a framerate of 2000 fps and elaborated with an on-purpose developed LabVIEW® code. Concentration (mass per volume) and dispersion pressure are varied to evaluate their effect on dust clouds. Maise starch, iron powder and silica powder are chosen to investigate the effect of particle density and size on the cloud structure and turbulence. This approach will help to investigate the structure of the dust cloud, the shape and size of the particle lumps and the change in dust concentration over time. In addition, information on the actual concentration and cloud turbulence at the ignition location and delay time were obtained, which may help identify the local turbulence scale and widen the characterisation of the cloud generated in the Hartmann tube.     

Experimental investigation of spark ignition energy in kerosene,hexane, and hydrogen

Quantifying the risk of accidental ignition of flammable mixtures is extremely important in industry and aviation safety. The concept of a minimum ignition energy (MIE), obtained using a capacitive spark discharge ignition source, has traditionally formed the basis for determining the hazard posed by fuels. While extensive tabulations of historical MIE data exist, there has been little work done on ignition of realistic industrial and aviation fuels, such as gasoline or kerosene. In the current work, spark ignition tests are performed in a gaseous kerosene–air mixture with a liquid fuel temperature of 60 °C and a fixed spark gap of 3.3 mm. The required ignition energy was examined, and a range of spark energies over which there is a probability of ignition is identified and compared with previous test results in Jet A (aviation kerosene). The kerosene results are also compared with ignition test results obtained in previous work for traditional hydrogen-based surrogate mixtures used in safety testing as well as two hexane–air mixtures. Additionally, the statistical nature of spark ignition is discussed.     

Initiation of dust explosions by electric spark discharges triggered by the explosive dust cloud itself

An investigation of ignition of dust clouds by the use of electric spark discharges triggered by the explosive dust cloud itself has been conducted. This method of triggering capacitive sparks probably represents a realistic mechanism for initiating accidental dust explosions in industrial practice. Unlike the conventional method for determining the minimum ignition energy (MIE) in the laboratory, the delay between dust dispersion and spark discharge is not a degree of freedom. In stead, the transient dust cloud itself is used to initiate spark breakdown between electrodes set at a high voltage lower than breakdown in pure air. In the present study, different kinds of dusts were tested as ‘spark triggers’, and they exhibited quite different abilities to trigger breakdown. Large particles were found to initiate breakdown at lower voltages than smaller ones. In general, conductive particles were not found to initiate breakdown at lower voltages than dielectric ones when using the same dust concentration.Minimum ignition energies (MIE) of three dusts (Lycopodium clavatum, sulphur and maize starch) were determined using the authors' method of study. The MIEs were somewhat higher than those obtained using conventional methods, but relatively close to the values obtained through conventional methods.     

Low temperature autoignition of Jet A and surrogate jet fuel

An experimental study of the low-temperature and low-pressure autoignition of Jet A and surrogate fuels was conducted using the ASTM-E659 standardized test method. Two surrogate fuels (Aachen and JI mixtures), their individual components and two batches (POSF-4658 and POSF-10325) of standardized Jet A were tested using the ASTM-E659 method for a range of fuel concentrations and temperatures. The ignition behaviors were categorized into four distinct ignition modes. The individual hydrocarbon components had a wide range of ignition behaviors and minimum autoignition temperatures (AIT) values depending on the molecular structure. The two Jet A batches showed similar ignition behavior with measured AITs of 229 ±3°C and 225 ±3°C respectively. Both surrogates exhibited similar ignition behavior to Jet A with comparable AITs of 219 ±3.1°C (Aachen) and 228 ±3°C (JI) with the JI mixture proving to be a more suitable surrogate to Jet A in the low-temperature thermal ignition regime.     

Experimental study on inert products,moisture, and particle size effect on the minimum ignition energy of combustible dusts

Handling combustible dusts not only continues to pose a risk to industry but can also affect the safety of society. Explosion risk could be avoided or mitigated trying to guarantee inherent safety throughout the product life chain. One way to reduce the risks when dealing with combustible dust is to increase the Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) in order to decrease combustible dust ignition sensitivity. To achieve this decrease, the inertization technique, also known as moderation, will be used. It consists of adding inert powders or humidity to the combustible dust. As sometimes end-users also must deal with the handling of flammable dusts, this study aims to find the most optimal inert for toner waste from printers and Holi powder (organic coloured dust from Indian parties), taking Lycopodium as a reference. Calcium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and gypsum are proposed as inert materials. In addition, with the aim of giving a second use to biomass boiler waste or boiler slagging, this waste will be analyzed as inert, as well as how humidity affects the combustible dusts. Then, sodium bicarbonate will be tested at different granulometries to evaluate the effect of particle size on moderation process. The tests were carried out in the modified Hartmann apparatus or MIKE 3.0. Mechanisms such as decomposition of inert dust have been analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)). The results show that gypsum and moisture are the best performing inert followed by calcium carbonate. Boiler slagging and solid bicarbonate contribute to a decrease in the MIE in some of the tests. The reasons for this deviation are discussed in the presented article. When sodium bicarbonate is analyzed at different particle sizes, it is found that the optimum particle size does not match the particle size of the combustible dust. According to the tests, there is an optimum point for which the inert powder provides better results.     

湍流对粉尘云电火花点火过程的影响

随着现代工业的发展,粉尘爆炸事故发生的频率也逐年增加,因此,对粉尘云点火敏感程度进行测量和计算就变得十分重要。粉尘云最小点火能是粉尘爆炸重要的特性参数之一,是采取粉尘爆炸防护的基础。最小点火能在测量的过程中受到多个敏感条件的影响,其中湍流则是最复杂的影响因素之一。文中对实验过程中粉尘云的湍流进行了定义,并分析了湍流对粉尘云最小点火能影响的内在原因;同时对通过数值模拟计算粉尘云最小点火能过程中的湍流计算给出了数学模型。从实验和数学模型两个方向对湍流进行了全面描述,对粉尘云电火花点火过程中湍流影响的分析结论,可有效的指导实验。     

超细三七粉最小引燃温度实验研究

为研究三七粉着火燃烧的参数,用粉尘云引燃温度装置和粉尘层引燃温度装置,对三七粉的最小引燃温度(MIT)进行实验研究。分别研究喷吹压力、质量浓度、粉尘层厚度对MIT的影响。结果表明:三七粉尘云的质量在0.2 g时最小引燃温度随着喷尘压力的增加先减小再增大,在0.3 g到0.6 g时最小引燃温度随着喷尘压力的增加而增大;在压力20 kPa、30 kPa时随着质量浓度的增大,粉尘云引燃温度先减小后增大,在40 kPa到60 kPa时,随着质量浓度的增大,粉尘云引燃温度增大;粉尘云最小引燃温度高于粉尘层最小引燃温度;三七粉尘云的最小引燃温度399℃,粉尘层最小引燃温度240℃。     

Effect of transient heat transfer on ignition of solid particles

Ignition and combustion of solid particles are the issues of interest for many industrial applications. When simulating ignition and combustion of solid particles using available standard (ST) models, a number of simplifying assumptions are usually adopted, which are not always justified. For example, for calculating heat flux to particle surface, the Newton law is often applied with the heat flux proportional to the difference between the gas temperature and the mean particle temperature. However, Newton law is known to be valid only for steady-state heat transfer. Moreover, the actual heat flux is determined by the particle surface temperature rather than its mean temperature. The objective of this work is to develop a new particle-heating model with the correction factors to the Newton law taking into account transient heat transfer to a particle and nonuniform temperature distribution inside the particle. It was shown that the new particle-heating model correlates much better with detailed numerical calculations than the ST model. The transient heating effects were shown to be important for the problem of solid particle ignition in the oxidizer gas.     

Ignition tests for electrical and mechanical equipment subjected to hot surfaces

This paper reports some experimental work on hot surface ignition temperatures of dust deposits. Dust layers up to 75 mm in depth were ignited using a modified version of the standard 5 mm layer apparatus. The measured ignition temperatures show good agreement with predictions using the method given in EN 50281-2-1. Ignition temperatures of conical dust deposits over an electrically heated box were not predictable, but were not too dissimilar from the ignition temperatures of the thick layers. Both tests gave adequate reproducibility in round robin tests. Rotating steel wheels in contact, immersed in a dust deposit produce the frictional hot surfaces. A relation between the power lost by friction and the surface temperature developed has been derived. The surface temperatures leading to ignition were close to the ignition temperatures for the conical deposits on the heated box. The similarities between the ignition temperatures of dust deposits in several configurations indicate that a simple test for ignition temperature measurement could have wide application in dusty environments.     

Nex-Hys: minimum ignition temperature of hybrid mixtures

Although the minimum ignition temperature is an important safety characteristic and of practical relevance in industrial processes, actually only standard operation procedures are available for pure substances and single-phase values. Nevertheless, combinations of substances or mixtures are used in industrial processes and up to now it is not possible to provide a standardised minimum ignition temperature and in consequence to design a process safely with regard to the substances used.In order to get minimum ignition temperatures for frequently used hybrid mixtures, first, the minimum ignition temperatures and ignition frequencies were determined in the modified Godbert-Greenwald furnace for two single phase solids and a liquid substance. Second, minimum ignition temperatures and ignition frequencies were determined for several combinations as hybrid mixture of dust and liquid.In parallel to the determination of ignition temperatures a new camera and computer system to differentiate ignition from non-ignition is developed. First results are promising that such a system could be much less operator depended.By a high number of repetitions to classify regions of ignition the base is laid to decide about a new procedure for a hybrid standard and updating existing ones, too. This is one of the necessary aims to be reached in the Nex-Hys project.A noticeable decrease of minimum ignition temperatures below the MIT of the pure solids was observed for the one hybrid mixture tested, yet. Furthermore more widely dispersed area of ignition is shown. In accordance to previously findings, the results demonstrate a strong relationship between likelihood of explosion and amount of added solvent. In consequence the hybrid mixture is characterized by a lower minimum ignition temperature than the single dust.