Numerical analysis of hydrogen deflagration mitigation by venting through a duct

This paper presents a model and simulation results for the mitigation of a hydrogen–air deflagration by venting through a duct. A large eddy simulation (LES) model, applied previously to study both closed-vessel, and open atmosphere hydrogen–air deflagrations, was developed further to model a hydrogen–air explosion vented through a duct. Sub-grid scale (SGS) flame wrinkling factors were introduced to model major phenomena which contribute to the increase of flame surface area in vented deflagrations. Simulations were conducted to validate the model against 20% hydrogen–air mixture deflagrations (vent diameters 25 and 45 cm) and 10% hydrogen–air mixture deflagration (vent diameter 25 cm). There was reasonable correlation between the simulations and the experimental data. The comparative importance of different physical phenomena contributing to the flame wrinkling is discussed.     

Medium-scale experiments on vented hydrogen deflagration

A series of medium-scale experiments on vented hydrogen deflagration was carried out at the KIT test side in a chamber of 1 × 1 × 1 m³ size with different vent areas. The experimental program was divided in three series: (1) uniform hydrogen–air mixtures; (2) stratified hydrogen–air mixtures within the enclosure; (3) a layer deflagration of uniform mixture. Different uniform hydrogen–air mixtures from 7 to 18% hydrogen were tested with variable vent areas 0.01–1.0 m². One test was done for rich mixture with 50% H₂. To vary a gradient of concentration, all the experiments with a stratified hydrogen–air mixtures had about 4%H₂ at the bottom and 10 to 25% H₂ at the top of the enclosure. Measurement system consisted of a set of pressure sensors and thermocouples inside and outside the enclosure. Four cameras combined with a schlieren system (BOS) for visual observation of combustion process through transparent sidewalls were used. Four experiments were selected as benchmark experiments to compare them with four times larger scale FM Global tests (Bauwens et al., 2011) and to provide experimental data for further CFD modelling. The nature of external explosion leading to the multiple pressure peak structure was investigated in details. Current work addresses knowledge gaps regarding indoor hydrogen accumulations and vented deflagrations. The experiments carried out within this work attend to contribute the data for improved criteria for hydrogen–air mixture and enclosure parameters to avoid unacceptable explosion overpressure. Based on theoretical analysis and current experimental data a further vent sizing technology for hydrogen deflagrations in confined spaces should be developed, taking into account the peculiarities of hydrogen–air mixture deflagrations in presence of obstacles, concentration gradients of hydrogen–air mixtures, dimensions of a layer of flammable cloud, vent inertia, etc.     

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.     

CFD modelling of hydrogen and hydrogen-methane explosions – Analysis of varying concentration and reduced oxygen atmospheres

This paper evaluates the predictive capabilities of the advanced consequence model FLACS-CFD for deflagrations involving hydrogen. Two modelling approaches are presented: the extensively validated model system originally developed for hydrocarbons included in FLACS-CFD 22.1 and a Markstein number dependent model implemented in the in-house version FLACS-CFD 22.1 IH. The ability of the models to predict the overpressure and the flame arrival time for scenarios with different concentrations of hydrogen, and thus different Lewis and Markstein numbers, is assessed. Furthermore, the effect of adding methane or nitrogen on overpressure for different regimes of premixed combustion are investigated. The validation dataset includes deflagrations in the open or in congested open areas and vented deflagrations in empty or congested enclosures. The overpressure predictions by FLACS-CFD 22.1 IH are found to be more accurate than those obtained with FLACS-CFD 22.1 for scenarios with varying hydrogen concentrations and/or added nitrogen or methane in the mixture. The predictions by FLACS-CFD 22.1 IH for lean hydrogen mixtures are within a factor of 2 of the values observed in the experiments. Further development of the model is needed for more accurate prediction of deflagrations involving rich hydrogen mixtures as well as scenarios with other fuels and/or conditions where the initial pressure or temperature deviate significantly from ambient conditions.     

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of hydrogen releases and vented deflagrations in large enclosures

This paper presents model predictions obtained with the CFD tool FLACS for hydrogen releases and vented deflagrations in containers and larger enclosures. The paper consists of two parts. The first part compares experimental results and model predictions for two test cases: experiments performed by Gexcon in 20-foot ISO containers (volume 33 m³) as part of the HySEA project and experiments conducted by SRI International and Sandia National Laboratories in a scaled warehouse geometry (volume 45.4 m³). The second part explores the use of the model system validated in the first part to accidental releases of hydrogen from forklift trucks inside a full-scale warehouse geometry (32 400 m³). The results demonstrate the importance of using realistic and reasonably accurate geometry models of the systems under consideration when performing CFD-based risk assessment studies. The discussion highlights the significant inherent uncertainty associated with quantitative risk assessments for vented hydrogen deflagrations in complex geometries. The suggestions for further work include a pragmatic approach for developing empirical correlations for pressure loads from vented hydrogen deflagrations in industrial warehouses with hydrogen-powered forklift trucks.     

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.     

An application of 3D gasdynamic modeling for the prediction of overpressures in vented enclosures

A three-dimensional gasdynamic model with constant burning rate is applied for the prediction of the maximum pressure rise from gaseous combustion in vented enclosures. A series of calculations for an enclosure with aspect ratio close to unity are presented. Both cases with and without obstacles in the enclosure are considered. Results of calculations are compared with a simple 0D solution for spherical vessels. It is shown that, in cases without obstacles, the 0D solution for the maximum reduced overpressures is close to the predictions of the detailed modeling. In cases with obstacles, the detailed simulation gives significantly higher overpressures than those from the 0D model. However, in all the cases the reduced pressures are correlated well with the maximum flame surface area.     

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.     

An integrated model for vent area design of hydrocarbon-air mixture explosion inside cubic enclosures with obstacles

This study aims to develop an integrated model - NFPA-68-BRANN model, which can be used to calculate the vent areas of cubic enclosures with obstacles. Seven experiments regarding vented explosion inside the obstructed enclosure are reviewed and applied to check the accuracy of two existing standards, i.e. the NFPA-68 2018 and the BS EN 14994:2007. Accordingly, the parameters to describe the flame development in the NFPA-68 2018 are amended by adopting the Bauwens model. Bayesian Regularization Artificial Neuron Network (BRANN) model presenting the non-linear relationship between the turbulent flame enhancement factor X and its affecting factors is subsequently developed. Eventually, the NFPA-68-BRANN model is generated by incorporating the BRANN model into the modified NFAP-68 2018. The accuracy of the NFPA-68-BRANN model is validated by using a series of the New Baker Test data.     

Unified correlations for vent sizing of enclosures at atmospheric and elevated pressures

Innovative vent sizing technology is presented for explosion safety design of equipment at atmospheric and elevated initial pressures. Unified correlations for vent sizing are suggested. They are modifications of previously reported correlations verified thoroughly for experimental data on vented gaseous deflagrations under different conditions but only at initial atmospheric pressure. Suggested correlations are based on experimental data on vented deflagrations of quiescent and turbulent propane–air mixtures at initial pressures up to 0.7 MPa. Typical values of turbulence factor and deflagration–outflow interaction number are obtained for experimental vented deflagrations at initial pressures higher than atmospheric.

“Blind” examination of new vent sizing technology on another set of experiments with methane–air and propane–air mixtures has shown that predictions by suggested vent sizing technology are better than by the NFPA 68 guide for “Venting of Deflagrations”.

In the development of recently reported results for initial atmospheric pressure it has been concluded that the innovative vent sizing technology is more reliable compared to the NFPA 68 guide at elevated initial pressures as well. Moreover it is crucial that the calculation procedure remains the same for arbitrary deflagration conditions.     

Combustion modeling in large scale volumes using EUROPLEXUS code

Most of the numerical benchmarks on combustion in large scale volumes for hydrogen safety, which were performed up until today have demonstrated, that current numerical codes and physical models experience poor predictive capabilities at the industrial scale, both due to under-resolution and deficiencies in combustion modeling. This paper describes a validation of the EUROPLEXUS code against several large scale experimental data sets in order to improve its hydrogen combustion modeling capabilities in industrial settings (e.g. reactor buildings). The code is based on the Euler equations and employs an algorithm for the propagation of reactive interfaces, RDEM, which includes a combustion wave, as an integrable part of the Reactive Riemann problem, propagating with a fundamental flame speed (being a function of initial mixture properties as well as gas dynamics parameters). Validation of the first combustion model implemented in the code is based on obstacle-laden channels, interconnected reactor-type compartments, vented enclosures and covers all major premixed flame combustion regimes (slow, fast and detonation) with an aim to obtain conservative results. An improvement of this model is found in a direction of transient interaction of flame fronts with regions of elevated integral length scales presented in the velocity gradient field due to e.g. interactions with geometrical non-uniformities and pressure waves.     

The effect of vent size and concentration in vented gasoline-air explosions

Experimental data from vented explosion tests using gasoline-air mixtures with concentrations from 0.88 to 2.41% vol. are presented. A 2L vessel was used for the tests with vent sizes of 25 cm², 50 cm² and 100 cm². The tests were focused on the effect of gasoline vapor concentration and vent size on the pressure development and the flame behavior inside and outside the vessel. It was found that the inner flame propagation speed was mainly dependent on the initial concentration, while the maximum flame spreading distance was mainly influenced by the vent size. The external flame speed and duration could be influenced by the combination of the two properties. The internal pressure increases gradually with the flame propagated inside the vessel and decreased sharply when the vent failed. High-pressure durations containing pressure peaks were recorded by transducers in front of the vent and oscillations could be observed besides the vent. At any measure point, the maximum external pressures for A = 25 cm² or 50 cm² were significantly larger than those for A = 100 cm².     

A study on the obstacle-induced variation of the gas explosion characteristics

A study on the variation of the gas explosion characteristics caused by the built-in obstacles was conducted in enclosed/vented gas explosion vessels. It has been well known that the obstacles in pipes and long ducts would accelerate the flame propagation, and cause the transition from deflagration to detonation. In this study, the explosion characteristics and the flame behavior of vented explosions and constant-volume explosions were investigated. Experiments were carried out in a 270-liter and 36-liter hexahedron vessels filled with LPG–air mixture. The explosion characteristics of the gas mixture were determined by using a strain-responding pressure transducer. The flame behavior was recorded by using a high-speed video camera. The shape and the size of the obstacle, and the gas concentration, were adjusted in the experiments.

It can be seen from the experimental results that, instead of being accelerated, the flame propagation inside the explosion vessel is decelerated by the plate obstacles fixed at the bottom of the vessel. Also, the characteristics of the enclosed explosion are not so affected by the built-in obstacles as those of the vented explosion are. It is believed that the eddy-induced turbulence behind the obstacle decelerates the flame propagation.     

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.     

Simplified multiple equations' inverse problem of vented vessels subjected to internal gas explosions

This paper analyses the experimental data reported by Höchst and Leuckel (1998) for combustion in partially confined vessels and uses the data from these experiments to establish the burning rate based on a simplified model for the combustion process in such vessels. The model establishes three fundamental parameters which are necessary in characterizing the combustion process. These are: i) the burning rate, ii) the fraction of vent area occupied by burnt gas (or discharge sub-model), and iii) the vent area model (if cover mechanisms with variable vent areas are utilized). A set of independent equations is derived to determine the burning rate according to conservation of mass and volume for each gas fraction separately along with a general equation based on general volume conservation. Using this method we are able to describe the combustion process and examine the effect of various discharge models. The advantages of the model presented here include rapid applicability and a valuable analysis to derive mass burn rate and other useful parameters using experimental data from vented explosions with reasonable residual reactant values. Based on these results, the correct interpretation of the obtained burning rate can be used in order to explain the correct prediction of flame velocity and position according to a reasonable discharge model. The paper also evaluates the suitability of several discharge models for phenomenological models of vented explosions. The most appropriate is a Heaviside step function which considers that only unburnt gas is initially expelled, with that component decreasing and the burnt gas component increasing until finally only burnt gas is expelled. The obtained results in this study can be used to predict the burning rate behavior and the combustion process of similar problems.     

通风状况对乳胶泡沫材料燃烧特性影响

设计小尺寸实验平台,研究不同通风管道风速对乳胶泡沫材料燃烧特性的影响。在不同风速条件下进行实验,获得材料表面温度分布、质量损失速率、火焰高度和火蔓延速率等特性参数。实验结果表明,在管道风速为0,1.5,3,4.5,6 m/s时,平均火焰蔓延速率分别为0.24,0.20,0.23,0.25,0.24 cm/s,最大质量损失速率分别为2.80,2.26,2.65,3.18,3.63 g/s。在有风条件下,随着风速的增加,火焰燃烧过程变得更加剧烈,最大质量损失率变大。实验样品的燃烧过程可以分为3个阶段:初始生长、完全燃烧和熄灭。最大火焰高度发生在燃烧过程的第2阶段,不同管道风速下的最大火焰高度分别为96.39,72.83,90.68,94.96,95.32 cm。     

Experimental study on vented deflagration of hydrocarbon fuel-air mixtures in a 20-L semi-confined cylindrical vessel with a slight static activation pressure

The overpressure peaks and flame propagation characteristics of hydrocarbon fuel-air mixtures vented deflagration in a 20-L cylindrical vessel with a slight static activation overpressure (P_ST = 2.5 kPa) and five vent opening ratio were studied by a series of experiments. The experiments focused on the effect of vent opening ratio on the overpressure peaks and flame propagation characteristics of hydrocarbon fuel-air mixture vented deflagration. The internal overpressure-time profiles and high-speed photographs of flame propagation processes were obtained. The results showed that three overpressure peaks were distinguished in the internal overpressure-time profiles, caused by the burst vent cover (p_burst), the acceleration of burnt gas (p_fv), and the fierce external deflagration of vented unburned fuel (p_ext), respectively. The changing of the vent opening ratio had almost no effect on the value of p_burst and (dp_burst/dt). With increasing vent opening ratio, the values of p_fv, p_ext, (dp_fv/dt) and (dp_ext/dt) showed a decreasing trend while the values of p_burst and (dp_burst/dt) were nearly constant. The flame presented a hemispherical shape before the vent cover ruptured then developed as a mushroom shape after accelerated to external field. There were three flame speed peaks during flame propagation process, resulted from venting flow acceleration, external deflagration, and axial heat flux formed by internal combustion. With the increase of vent opening ratio, all of the maximum flame speed, external average flame speed, maximum flame distance and external flame duration showed a downward trend, excepting for the internal average flame speed almost remained constant.     

Effects of cross-wise obstacle position on methane–air deflagration characteristics

A vented chamber, with internal dimensions of 150 mm × 150 mm × 500 mm, is constructed in which the premixed methane–air deflagration flame, propagating away from the ignition source, interacts with obstacles along its path. Three obstacle configurations with different cross-wise positions are investigated. The cross-wise obstacle positions are found to have significant effects on deflagration characteristics, such as flame structure, flame front location, flame speed, and overpressure transients. The rate of flame acceleration, as the flame passes over the last obstacle, is the highest at the configuration with three centrally located obstacles, whereas the lowest is observed at the configuration with three obstacles mounted on one side of the chamber. Compared with the side configuration, the magnitude of overpressure generated increases by approximately 80% and 165% for the central and staggered configurations, respectively. Furthermore, flame propagation speeds and generated overpressures for both the central and staggered configurations are greater, which should to be avoided to reduce the risk associated with turbulent premixed deflagrations in practical processes.     

障碍物对油气-空气混合气体泄压爆炸火焰传播特性影响

为了研究障碍物对油气泄压爆炸火焰传播特性的影响规律,进行了不同数量障碍物工况下的对比实验,并利用纹影仪和高速摄影仪记录了火焰传播过程,针对障碍物对火焰形态、火焰锋面位置及火焰传播速度的影响规律进行了研究,结果表明:圆柱体障碍物会导致油气泄压爆炸火焰形态产生褶皱和弯曲变形,诱导层流火焰向湍流火焰转变,加速火焰的传播,对油气泄压爆炸火焰的初始传播形态有显著影响;随着障碍物数量的增多,火焰锋面传播距离点火端的最大距离增大,但到达最远距离的时间减少;障碍物能够增强火焰的传播速度,尤其对障碍物下游火焰影响最为显著,随着障碍物数量的增多,火焰传播的最大速度也随之增大,但达到最大火焰传播速度的时间却随之减少;障碍物的存在增大了油气泄压爆炸过程外部爆炸压力,并且随着障碍物数量的增多,外部爆炸压力峰值增长幅度增大。