粉尘爆炸研究方向初探

本文从现有的对粉尘爆炸特性的认识出发,分析了粉尘云特性,粉尘爆炸与爆轰,湍流对反应波阵面的加速几个方面,提出了近期应该在粉尘爆炸参数测试技术标准化、粉尘指数K_(st)、粉尘爆燃转炸轰的过程、泄炸机理以及控炸装置和控炸设计规范等方面的研究上下功夫,以便更有效地利用现有的试验条件,更快、更多、更好地解决工程实际问题。     

Effects of thermal radiation heat transfer on flame acceleration and transition to detonation in particle-cloud hydrogen flames

The current work examines regimes of the hydrogen–oxygen flame propagation and ignition of mixtures heated by radiation emitted from the flame. The gaseous phase is assumed to be transparent for the radiation, while the suspended particles of the dust cloud ahead of the flame absorb and reemit the radiation. The radiant heat absorbed by the particles is then lost by conduction to the surrounding unreacted gaseous phase so that the gas phase temperature lags that of the particles. The direct numerical simulations solve the full system of two phase gas dynamic time-dependent equations with a detailed chemical kinetics for a plane flames propagating through a dust cloud. It is shown that depending on the spatial distribution of the dispersed particles and on the value of radiation absorption length the consequence of the radiative preheating of the mixture ahead of the flame can be either the increase of the flame velocity for uniformly dispersed particles or ignition either new deflagration or detonation ahead of the original flame via the Zel'dovich gradient mechanism in the case of a layered particle-gas cloud deposits. In the latter case the ignited combustion regime depends on the radiation absorption length and correspondingly on the steepness of the formed temperature gradient in the preignition zone that can be treated independently of the primary flame. The impact of radiation heat transfer in a particle-laden flame is of paramount importance for better risk assessment and represents a route for understanding of dust explosion origin.     

A critical evaluation of combustible/explosible dust testing methods – Part 1

Tests were conducted by the Center for Agricultural Air Quality Engineering and Science (CAAQES) and by Safety Consulting Engineers Inc. (SCE) to determine if dust found in cotton gins (gin dust) would serve as fuel for dust explosions. In other words, is gin dust explosible? The laboratory tests used by CAAQES and SCE are very different. SCE used a totally enclosed 20 liter (L) chamber, flame from a 10,000 J (10 kJ) ignition source, reported that gin dust was a class ‘A’ explosible dust. CAAQES used a 28.3-L (1 ft³) chamber with diaphragm, a stationary coil as the igniter, video and pressure recordings of each test and concluded that gin dust was not explosible. SCE followed the protocols specified by ASTM E1226 and E1515. The only indicator used to determine whether a deflagration occurred during a test was pressure. If the pressure rise exceeded one bar gage (g) in a 20-L chamber test with a flame from a 10 kJ energy source as the igniter, it was assumed that a deflagration occurred in the chamber and the dust was classified as explosible (ASTM E1226-05, 2005). The CAAQES criterion for determining if a dust was explosible consisted of determining the minimum explosive concentration (MEC). If the MEC existed using the CAAQES test system, it was explosible! The criteria used with the CAAQES method for determining the MEC was to test concentrations starting at concentrations above the MEC and lowering the concentrations until at least one of the three tests at that concentration failed to result in a deflagration. The indicators of a deflagration were (1) bursting of a diaphragm, (2) flame front leaving the chamber and (3) characteristic pressure vs. time curve.It was concluded that the ASTM method of using only pressure as the indicator of a deflagration in a totally enclosed chamber would likely result of an “over-driven” test and an incorrect finding that gin dust was explosible. The result of CAAQES testing was that gin dust was not explosible.     

铝粉尘云燃烧火焰形态分析实验研究

为探索铝粉尘云燃烧火焰形态和灾变演化,基于改造的竖直开口实验管道,借助高速摄像仪和离子探针,研究火焰结构及变化,分析粒径因素对铝粉火焰前锋形态的影响。实验结果表明:铝粉燃烧能量的释放和空间束缚使燃烧转为爆燃,火焰前锋下方存在大片的燃烧反应区;铝粉粒径越小,颗粒氧化层破裂需要的热应力越小,越容易被点燃;随着铝粉粒径减小,热膨胀对火焰传播速度的影响明显增强。     

Effects of multiple annular obstacles on flame propagation of local corn starch dust in a vertical pipe

With high-speed camera technology, the propagation behavior of explosion flame for the local dust cloud of corn starch in a semi-open vertical pipe under the action of the annular obstacle was studied experimentally, and the blockage rate and the annular obstacle numbers as well as impact of dust cloud concentration on the flame propagation were investigated. The researches showed that both the blockage rate and the annular obstacle numbers have significant effects on the flame speed and propagation process for the dust cloud explosion of corn starch. The increase of the blockage rate of such annular obstacles will cause that the combustion of dust cloud with high concentration is mainly concentrated in the lower part of the pipe. The increase of the annular obstacle numbers will lead to the acceleration of combustion of the dust cloud. With the increase of the blockage rate and the annular obstacle numbers, the maximum flame speed shows a trend of the first increasing and then decreasing, and the phenomenon of accelerated propagation of the flame becomes more and more obvious, however, the distance of continuous acceleration for the flame is gradually decreased and the maximum flame speed is farther from the outlet of the pipe. Under the action of such annular obstacles, the concentration of dust cloud has a significant effect on the flame speed and shape of the dust cloud of the corn starch. The increase of the concentration of the dust cloud will decrease the acceleration effect of such annular obstacles to result in maximum flame speed showing a trend of the first increasing and then decreasing. However, the acceleration distance of the flame is longer, and the maximum flame speed is closer to the outlet of the pipe. The increasing concentration will make the flame speed develop more slowly, the flame color will be darker, and the flame segmentation phenomenon will be more obvious.     

A constant pressure dust explosion experiment

A new apparatus has been designed for investigating flame propagation in turbulent dust clouds at near constant pressure conditions. The experimental approach is inspired by the classical soap bubble method for measuring burning velocities in gaseous mixtures. Combustible dust is dispersed with pressurised air to form an explosive mixture inside a transparent latex balloon. After a certain delay time, the turbulent dust cloud is ignited by a 40 J chemical igniter. A digital high-speed video camera records the propagating flame and the expansion of the balloon. Experiments were performed with two types of dust, Lycopódium spores and maize starch, as well as with propane–air mixtures under initially quiescent or turbulent conditions. Although the results are primarily qualitative in nature, they nevertheless demonstrate fundamental differences between premixed combustion of gaseous mixtures, and ‘premixed combustion with non-premixed substructures' in mechanical suspensions of solid particles dispersed in air. The discussion highlights some fundamental challenges for future dust explosion research.     

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.     

Study on the preparation of novel NiB/Hβ-Al2O3 micro-mesoporous suppressant and its inhibition mechanism of coal dust explosion flame

Coal dust explosion is one of the serious accidents in the coal industry. It is of great significance to study the flame suppression of coal dust explosions. In this paper, a novel active component NiB with amorphous structure for explosion suppression was synthesized by the chemical reduction method. Furthermore, the novel explosion suppressant NiB/Hβ-Al₂O₃ was prepared through the kneading method by loading novel amorphous NiB nanoparticles on Hβ-Al₂O₃ with the micro-mesoporous structure as the carrier. The morphology and structure of NiB/Hβ-Al₂O₃ were characterized by XRD, BET, SEM, and FTIR, which showed that the NiB/Hβ-Al₂O₃ has proper pore structure and NiB nanoparticles are uniformly distributed as active components for explosion suppression in suppressant. Hartmann tube was used to evaluate the inhibition of coal dust deflagration. The results showed that the flame propagation distance and velocity decreased with the increase of the explosion suppressant. When the addition of explosion suppressant was 30 wt%, the explosion of coal dust was suppressed effectively. Furthermore, combing with the analysis results of the products after coal dust deflagration, the physical and chemical inhibition mechanism of the novel NiB/Hβ-Al₂O₃ explosion suppressant on coal dust deflagration was put forward.     

Radiation heat transfer in transient dust cloud flame propagation

This study investigates the impact of radiation heat transfer and heat conduction on dust cloud combustion. Radiation plays a very important role in the stability of dust cloud flame, and increasing the amount of radiation drastically raises the possibility of instability and explosion in a dust cloud mixture. Flame speed, which is a function of mixture characteristics, can exhibit a fluctuating behavior. By using the discrete heat source method, it would be possible to study the transient propagation of dust flames. Thus, the propagation speed of flame can be obtained, and as time goes by, the transient speed of dust flame will reach its steady state value. By considering the radiation effect, better agreement is observed between the obtained results and experimental data.     

Simulation of dust explosions in complex geometries with experimental input from standardized tests

The present paper describes the development of a new CFD-code (DESC) for the assessment of accidental hazards arising from dust explosions in complex geometries. The approach followed entails the estimation of the laminar burning velocity of dust clouds from standardized laboratory-scale tests, and its subsequent use as input to the combustion model incorporated in DESC. The methodology used to obtain the laminar burning velocities is demonstrated by igniting turbulent propane-air mixtures to deflagration in a standard 20-litre USBM-vessel, and extracting the laminar burning velocity from the pressure–time curves; the results are compared with literature data. Laminar burning velocities for clouds of maize starch dust in air were estimated following the same procedure, and the resulting empirical model was used to simulate dust explosions in a 236-m³ silo.     

穿越城市生活区的天然气管道泄漏连锁爆燃后果评估研究*

为评估城市天然气管道泄漏连锁爆燃事故后果,基于计算流体力学(CFD)方法构建穿越城市区域的天然气管道泄漏连锁爆燃后果预测与评估模型,以某城市生活区域为例,在城市生活区域建筑物内风场流动计算的基础上,模拟风场作用下可燃气体在城市建筑物空间内的运移规律,预测可燃气云的积聚区域;考虑意外点火的情况,计算城市生活区域内可燃气云爆燃灾害特征,预测爆燃超压、热辐射和高温的影响。研究结果表明:由于建筑物之间的阻挡与反射作用,建筑物下风向有明显的低风速区域,并在一定时间段后扩散过程趋于稳定;在爆燃火焰作用下,高温和热辐射会造成建筑物部分钢结构发生失效变形。     

The quenching of propane deflagrations by crimped ribbon flame arrestors

Experimental studies of deflagration flame quenching by crimped ribbon flame arrestors were performed in a circular ducting with propane-air flammable mixture. The corresponding flameproof velocities were determined systemically. The results showed that the channel length, the expansion ratio and the aperture size must be taken into consideration to predict the performance of the crimped ribbon flame arrestors. To explore the relationship between flameproof velocity and arrestor structure, numerical simulations were carried out. The simulated results showed that with the reduction of the hydraulic diameter of the aperture size, the flameproof velocity is increased, which implies the basic angle must be considered when crimped ribbon flame arrestors are used to quench deflagration flame. In addition, the influence of the expansion ratio is of great significance on the efficiency of flame arrestors. The flameproof velocity can be reduced to be a value related to the expansion ratio. Two empirical formulas were derived to exhibit the relation between the flameproof velocity and the characteristics of the flame arrestor, which can be used to predict the performance of crimped ribbon arrestors.     

硬脂酸粉着火敏感性影响因素及惰化研究*

为预防和减轻硬脂酸粉加工、储存和运输过程中的燃爆危害,采用Godbert-Greenwald恒温炉分别研究质量浓度、分散压力、惰性粉体质量分数对硬脂酸粉尘云最低着火温度的影响规律。研究结果表明:硬脂酸粉尘云的最低着火温度随质量浓度和分散压力的增加先减小后增大,当质量浓度和分散压力分别为485.4 g/m3,15 kPa时,硬脂酸粉尘云最低着火温度达到最小;添加少量惰性粉体增大了硬脂酸粉尘云分散性,对硬脂酸粉尘云最低着火温度的降低起到促进作用;随惰性粉体质量分数的增加,硬脂酸粉尘云最低着火温度先迅速增大后增速变缓;SiO2通过物理作用抑制硬脂酸粉尘云燃烧,Al(OH)3除物理作用外还通过化学分解参与自由基碰撞,可有效提升硬脂酸粉尘云的最低着火温度。     

Experimental determination of dust cloud deflagration parameters of selected hydrogen storage materials: Complex metal hydrides,chemical hydrides,and adsorbents

This paper discusses the results of an experimental program carried out to determine dust cloud deflagration parameters of selected solid-state hydrogen storage materials, including complex metal hydrides (sodium alanate and lithium borohydride/magnesium hydride mixture), chemical hydrides (alane and ammonia borane) and activated carbon (Maxsorb, AX-21). The measured parameters include maximum deflagration pressure rise, maximum rate of pressure rise, minimum ignition temperature, minimum ignition energy and minimum explosible concentration. The calculated explosion indexes include volume-normalized maximum rate of pressure rise (K_St), explosion severity (ES) and ignition sensitivity (IS). The deflagration parameters of Pittsburgh seam coal dust and Lycopodium spores (reference materials) are also measured. The results show that activated carbon is the safest hydrogen storage media among the examined materials. Ammonia borane is unsafe to use because of the high explosibility of its dust. The core insights of this contribution are useful for quantifying the risks associated with use of these materials for on-board systems in light-duty fuel cell-powered vehicles and for supporting the development of hydrogen safety codes and standards. These insights are also critical for designing adequate safety features such as explosion relief venting and isolation devices and for supplementing missing data in materials safety data sheets.     

Numerical study on premixing characteristics and explosion process of starch in a vertical pipe under turbulent flow

Fire and explosion accidents are frequently caused by combustible dust, which has led to increased interest in this area of research. Although scholars have performed some research in this field, they often ignored interesting phenomena in their experiments. In this paper, we established a 2D numerical method to thoroughly investigate the particle motion and distribution before ignition. The optimal time for the corn starch dust cloud to ignite was determined in a semi-closed tube, and the characteristics of the flame propagation and temperature field were investigated after ignition inside and outside the tube. From the simulation, certain unexpected phenomena that occurred in the experiment were explained, and some suggestions were proposed for future experiments. The results from the simulation showed that 60–70 ms was the best time for the dust cloud to ignite. The local high-temperature flame clusters were caused by the agglomeration of high-temperature particles, and there were no flames near the wall of the tube due to particles gathering and attaching to the wall. Vortices formed around the nozzle, where the particle concentration was low and the flame spread slowly. During the explosion venting, particles flew out of the tube before the flame. The venting flame exhibited a “mushroom cloud” shape due to interactions with the vortex, and the flame maintained this shape as it was driven upward by the vortex.     

T型管道不同封闭状态瓦斯爆燃火焰传播特征

为了研究分岔管道不同封闭状态下瓦斯爆燃火焰阵面传播规律,在自制的T型透明分岔管道内,设置支管端口完全封闭、直管左端口弱封闭,采用光电传感器和压力传感器测试了直管右端弱封闭、完全封闭2种情况下,预混甲烷-空气可燃气体爆燃火焰传播过程中速度、超压参数的变化情况。结果表明:由于分岔的存在,2种封闭状态在支管端点火后瓦斯爆燃火焰阵面在支管中的传播速度均先增大后减小;直管右端弱封闭时,经过分岔后火焰加速向直管两端传播速度基本一致,分别达到86.29 m/s和88.07 m/s;直管右端完全封闭时,火焰向弱封闭端传播速度增大至166.67 m/s,火焰向完全封闭端传播时并不断压缩未燃气体产生高压振荡反馈导致火焰振荡传播现象,火焰速度不断减小至4.84 m/s;管道内瓦斯爆燃超压均迅速上升到达峰值,之后受压缩气体的膨胀和冲击后爆燃产物的振荡作用迅速下降。     

Propagation and extinction of dust flames in narrow channels

This article has investigated the propagation and extinction of aluminum dust cloud flame in a narrow channel. The burned and burning dust particles act as heat sources and the channel walls act as heat sinks. In this method, discrete heat source has been used to analyze dust combustion in a narrow channel. Using the superposition of sources and sinks, the preheat zone temperature is predicted as an indicator of flame propagation or extinction. Dust concentration and channel width are two major parameters which affect the quenching distance and flame propagating speed. Wall temperature affects the heat loss; and by preheating the walls, quenching distance is reduced and flame propagation speed is increased.     

Suppression of metal dust deflagrations

Dust explosions continue to pose a serious threat to the process industries handling combustible powders. According to a review carried out by the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) in 2006, 281 dust explosions were reported between 1980 and 2005 in the USA, killing 119 workers and injuring 718. Metal dusts were involved in 20% of these incidents. Metal dust deflagrations have also been regularly reported in Europe, China and Japan.The term “metal dusts” encompasses a large family of materials with diverse ignitability and explosibility properties. Compared to organic fuels, metal dusts such as aluminum or magnesium exhibit higher flame temperature (T_f), maximum explosion pressure (P_max), deflagration index (K_St), and flame speed (S_f), making mitigation more challenging. However, technological advances have increased the efficiency of active explosion protection systems drastically, so the mitigation of metal dust deflagrations has now become possible.This paper provides an overview of metal dust deflagration suppression tests. Recent experiments performed in a 4.4 m³ vessel have shown that aluminum dust deflagrations can be effectively suppressed at a large scale. It further demonstrates that metal dust deflagrations can be managed safely if the hazard is well understood.     

Experimental investigation on explosion flame propagation of wood dust in a semi-closed tube

In order to explore flame propagation characteristics during wood dust explosions in a semi-closed tube, a high-speed camera, a thermal infrared imaging device and a pressure sensor were used in the study. Poplar dusts with different particle size distributions (0–50, 50–96 and 96–180 μm) were respectively placed in a Hartmann tube to mimic dust cloud explosions, and flame propagation behaviors such as flame propagation velocity, flame temperature and explosion pressure were detected and analyzed. According to the changes of flame shapes, flame propagations in wood dust explosions were divided into three stages including ignition, vertical propagation and free diffusion. Flame propagations for the two smaller particles were dominated by homogeneous combustion, while flame propagation for the largest particles was controlled by heterogeneous combustion, which had been confirmed by individual Damköhler number. All flame propagation velocities for different groups of wood particles in dust explosions were increased at first and then decreased with the augmentation of mass concentration. Flame temperatures and explosion pressures were almost similarly changed. Dust explosions in 50–96 μm wood particles were more intense than in the other two particles, of which the most severe explosion appeared at a mass concentration of 750 g/m³. Meanwhile, flame propagation velocity, flame propagation temperature and explosion pressure reached to the maximum values of 10.45 m/s, 1373 °C and 0.41 MPa. In addition, sensitive concentrations corresponding to the three groups of particles from small to large were 500, 750 and 1000 g/m³, separately, indicating that sensitive concentration in dust explosions of wood particles was elevated with the increase of particle size. Taken together, the finding demonstrated that particle size and mass concentration of wood dusts affected the occurrence and severity of dust explosions, which could provide guidance and reference for the identification, assessment and industrial safety management of wood dust explosions.     

泡沫金属对甲烷/空气爆燃火焰的淬熄实验研究

为研究多孔材料对甲烷/空气预混气体爆燃火焰的抑制淬熄效果,运用一套自主设计的管道爆炸抑制系统进行实验研究。在实验中运用高速摄像机记录爆燃火焰在穿过多孔材料板时的淬熄过程,采用20,40,60,80PPI (孔目数) 的4种多孔材料,研究不同孔目数的多孔材料对爆燃火焰传播的形态结构、火焰传播速度以及抑制淬熄等特性的影响。结果表明:多孔材料的孔目数对爆燃火焰传播的早期阶段影响较小,爆燃火焰都经历了半球形火焰和指形火焰阶段;当火焰传播到多孔材料板时,孔目数越大对火焰的降速作用越强,80PPI工况下爆燃火焰不能穿过多孔材料板,即发生淬熄。实验结果揭示了多孔材料对火焰的淬熄作用与微孔通道和火焰的相互作用有关。