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 method for simulation of vapour cloud explosions based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

The effectiveness of the application of CFD to vapour cloud explosion (VCE) modelling depends on the accuracy with which geometrical details of the obstacles likely to be encountered by the vapour cloud are represented and the correctness with which turbulence is predicted. This is because the severity of a VCE strongly depends on the types of obstacles encountered by the cloud undergoing combustion; the turbulence generated by the obstacles influences flame speed and feeds the process of explosion through enhanced mixing of fuel and oxidant. In this paper a CFD-based method is proposed on the basis of the author’s finding that among the various models available for assessing turbulence, the realizable k-? model yields results closer to experimental findings than the other, more frequently used, turbulence models if used in conjunction with the eddy-dissipation model. The applicability of the method has been demonstrated in simulating the dispersion and ignition of a typical vapour cloud formed as a result of a spill from a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) tank situated in a refinery. The simulation made it possible to assess the overpressures resulting from the combustion of the flammable vapour cloud. The phenomenon of flame acceleration, which is a characteristic of combustion enhanced in the presence of obstacles, was clearly observed. Comparison of the results with an oft-used commercial software reveals that the present CFD-based method achieves a more realistic simulation of the VCE phenomena.     

Biomass explosion testing: Accounting for the post-test residue and implications on the results

This work uses the ISO 1 m³ dust explosion equipment to study the explosion properties and combustion characteristics of pulverized biomass dust clouds. An unreported feature of this apparatus is that in rich concentrations only about half the dust injected is burned in the explosion, while the overpressures remain high. This work was undertaken to try to understand the mechanisms of these phenomena, through the accounting of the debris at the end of the explosion, some of which was found in the form of impacted “cake” against the vessel wall. One possible explanation is that the residue material was biomass dust blown ahead of the flame by the explosion induced wind, impacted on the walls where then the flame side underwent flame impingement pyrolysis and the metal (wall) side material was compacted but largely chemically unchanged. The results also show that the heat transfer insulation provided by the powder wall layer contributes to the higher observed pressures. The risk of explosion with significant overpressures remains at 100% in very rich environments (equivalence ratios of up to 6) although these environments are leaner than thought due to material sequestration within the “cake”. There was little indication that a rich combustion limit was approached, this was determined in standard testing equipment that has been modified and calibrated to handle larger quantities of powder than normal.     

Thermal radiation from vapour cloud explosions

The current study estimates the radiation flux emitted from hot extended gas clouds characteristic of vapour cloud explosions along with the corresponding level of irradiance posed on particles suspended in the unburnt part of the cloud ahead of an advancing flame front. The data presented permits an assessment of the plausibility of combustion initiation by such particles due to forward thermal radiation. The thermal radiation will depend on the emissivity of the burned volume, which relates to the concentration of gaseous and particulate combustion products. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out to account for variations in the equivalence ratio, mixture pressure and radiative heat losses. The spatial distribution of irradiance ahead of the flame front has been computed by introducing appropriate geometrical factors to explore the impact of cloud size. Using fuel rich ethylene-air mixtures it has been shown that high flame emissivities can be achieved at path lengths of order 1 m even in the presence of very low soot volume fractions. The emissivity of gas-soot mixtures will hence be mainly determined by the soot concentration and to a lesser extent by the mixture temperature. Our analysis suggests that the role of forward thermal radiation as a contributing factor to flame propagation in large scale vapour cloud explosions can not currently be ruled out.     

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.     

泄爆口参数对氢气火焰传播过程影响的数值模拟

为了减少管内气体爆炸造成的损失与破坏,基于大涡模拟LES模型和Zimont燃烧模型,研究泄爆尺寸(直径为40,60,80 mm)和泄爆位置(侧方距点火端1,3,5 m)等泄爆条件对受限空间中氢气燃爆特性的影响。研究结果表明：大孔径泄爆口更好的排放效果造成火焰锋面在通过泄爆口时发生严重畸变,而泄爆口与点火端距离的增加则会削弱火焰锋面畸变的程度,且不同尺寸泄爆口产生的泄压效果差异较大。因此,应考虑将合适尺寸的泄爆口设置于靠近易燃点处。通过探索不同泄爆孔径与泄爆口位置对氢气火焰传播的影响规律,可为实际应用中的安全泄爆起到指导性作用。     

直线管道煤尘爆炸火焰传播规律的试验研究

为提供煤尘爆炸事故预防和缓解所需的科学依据,对煤尘爆炸火焰传播过程进行试验研究。所用试验装置,其主要部分为直径0.3 m的圆形管道与断面边长为80 mm的方形管道对接形成的一个长2 m的爆炸腔体。在其中共进行9次煤尘爆炸试验。结果表明,煤尘爆炸火焰传播具有速度快,波动大,稳定性较差的特点,火焰区长度远大于扬尘区长度,最大火焰速度和传播距离与煤尘量均不存在正比例关系,但存在一个特定的煤尘质量浓度。在这个特定质量浓度处,最大火焰速度达到最大值。当煤尘质量浓度大于这个特定质量浓度时,火焰传播速度曲线整体下降,暂时缺氧被认为是导致这一情况的重要因素。     

Explosions in closed pipes containing baffles and 90 degree bends

There is a general lack of information on the effects of full-bore obstacles on combustion in the literature, these obstacles are prevalent in many applications and knowledge of their effects on phenomena including burning rate, flame acceleration and DDT is important for the correct placing of explosion safety devices such as flame arresters and venting devices. In this work methane, propane, ethylene and hydrogen–air explosions were investigated in an 18 m long DN150 closed pipe with a 90 degree bend and various baffle obstacles placed at a short distance from the ignition source. After carrying out multiple experiments with the same configuration it was found that a relatively large variance existed in the measured flame speeds and overpressures, this was attributed to a stochastic element in how flames evolved and also how they caused and interacted with turbulence to produce flame acceleration. This led to several experiments being carried out for one configuration in order to obtain a meaningful average. It was shown that a 90 degree bend in a long tube had the ability to enhance flame speeds and overpressures, and shorten the run-up distance to DDT to a varying degree for a number of gases. In terms of the qualitative effects on these parameters they were comparable to baffle type obstacles with a blockage ratios of between 10 and 20%.     

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。     

Propane-air mixture deflagration hazard with different ignition positions and restraints in large-scale venting chamber

In order to better assess the hazards of explosion accidents, propane-air mixture deflagrations were conducted in a large-scale straight rectangular chamber (with a cross-section of 1.5 m × 1.5 m, length of 10 m, and total volume of 22.5 m³). The effect of initial volume, ignition position, and initial restraints on the explosion characteristics of the propane-air mixtures was investigated. The explosion overpressure, flame propagation, and flame speed were obtained and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software was used to simulate the flame-propagation process and field flow for auxiliary analysis. The hazards of large-scale propagation explosion under weak and strong constraints were evaluated and the different phases of flame propagation under weak and strong constraints were discriminated. Results indicate that the hazards caused by propane deflagration under weak constraint are mainly caused by flame spread. And the maximum overpressure under strong constraint appeared at the front part of the chamber under the large-scale condition, which is consistent with the previous small-scale test. Moreover, the simulations of flame structures under weak and strong constraint are in good agreement with experimental results, which furthers the understanding of large-scale propane deflagration under different initial conditions in large-scale spaces and provides basic data for three-dimensional CFD model improvement.     

彩虹粉引燃危险性实验研究

为了研究彩虹粉引燃危险性,应用固体燃烧速率试验仪初步甄别了彩虹粉传播燃烧能力,发现堆垛状彩虹粉固体火焰传播危险性较低;采用粉尘爆炸筛选装置,判定彩虹粉具有爆炸性;应用最小点火能测定装置测定彩虹粉粉尘云的最小点火能在24~60 mJ之间,最优爆炸浓度为1 167 g/m3;应用快速筛选量热仪测试,彩虹粉在227℃开始分解;固体自燃点测试仪显示彩虹粉在250℃附近会发生自燃。向彩虹粉内添加不同比例相近粒径分布的食用盐粉体进行抑爆研究,结果证明食用盐对彩虹粉具有明显的抑爆效果。     

油气浓度对半开口管道爆炸超压特性与火焰行为的影响

为了研究油气浓度对半开口管道爆炸超压特性与火焰行为的影响,建立半开口透明管道实验台架,采用5种不同初始油气浓度,进行了一系列油气爆炸对比实验。研究结果表明:油气浓度对油气爆炸超压峰值以及升压速率有显著影响,二者都呈现随浓度的增加先增大后减小的变化规律;油气浓度对火焰锋面传播速度有着显著影响,在当量浓度比下,火焰锋面的传播速度最大,并且火焰锋面的传播距离也最远;管道内的火焰行为可以分为4个阶段;油气浓度对火焰传播形态以及传播速度有明显的影响,对火焰传播形态的影响主要体现在破坏变形以及管道外爆炸阶段,随着浓度增加,爆炸半径先增大后减小,火焰传播速度呈现相同的变化规律。     

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.     

Flame behaviors and pressure characteristics of vented dust explosions at elevated static activation overpressures

Dust explosion venting experiments were performed using a 20-L spherical chamber at elevated static activation overpressures larger than 1 bar. Lycopodium dust samples with mean diameter of 70 μm and electric igniters with 0.5 KJ ignition energy were used in the experiments. Explosion overpressures in the chamber and flame appearances near the vent were recorded simultaneously. The results indicated that the flame appeared as the under-expanded free jet with shock diamonds, when the overpressure in the chamber was larger than the critical pressure during the venting process. The flame appeared as the normal constant-pressure combustion when the pressure venting process finished. Three types of venting processes were concluded in the experiments: no secondary flame and no secondary explosion, secondary flame, secondary explosion. The occurrence of the secondary explosions near the vent was related to the vent diameter and the static activation overpressure. Larger diameters and lower static activation overpressures were beneficial to the occurrence of the secondary explosions. In current experiments, the secondary explosions only occurred at the following combinations of the vent diameter and the static activation overpressure: 40 mm and 1.2 bar, 60 mm and 1.2 bar, 60 mm and 1.8 bar.     

障碍物对火焰传播过程影响数值模拟

采用CFD软件AutoReaGas建立典型的物理模型及数值模型来研究管道内障碍物对可燃气体爆炸火焰传播的影响规律。结果表明,障碍物间距、阻塞率的改变会对爆炸场内的火焰传播速率产生巨大影响。障碍物间距的改变对火焰传播速率的影响是一个先增大后减小的过程;低阻塞率下,火焰传播速度较低。但随着阻塞率的增大可燃气体爆炸火焰传播速度得到明显的增大。为障碍物对可燃气体爆炸传播规律的影响的进一步研究提供了理论依据。     

管道结构对氢/空预混气体爆炸特性影响研究

为研究管道结构对氢-空预混气体爆炸特性影响,采用实验与数值模拟相结合的方法,分析不同管道结构内氢-空预混气体燃爆时火焰传播进程、爆炸压力、湍流动能变化及流场分布.结果表明:90°弯管对氢-空预混气体爆炸强度增强作用明显高于T型分岔管和直管.火焰阵面在结构突变处褶皱变形较明显,并出现大尺度强湍流和涡团,气团脉动速度与湍流...     

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.     

Experimental study on the fractal characteristic of methane explosion flame

In this paper flame microstructures and propagation characteristic of methane explosion are studied by high speed schlieren photography technique. By experiment it shows that flame front surface and inner flow field of methane explosion has distinctly fractal characteristic, the effect of the wrinkle of flame front surface and inner reactants on flame propagation can be directly reflect by fractal dimensions. Fractal dimension has a direct relation to flame structure and flame propagation characteristics, and it is the important parameter to scale the flame propagation velocity and flame temperature.     

乙醇添加比例对乙醇-柴油混合物表面火蔓延的影响研究

实时记录了不同比例乙醇柴油混合燃料的火蔓延过程,对蔓延火焰的外貌结构、火蔓延模式、火蔓延速度以及油面温升规律等进行了探讨。研究发现,当乙醇添加比例10%时,混合燃料火焰低速脉动蔓延,火焰前锋油面下方存在表面流,火蔓延速度变化幅度比较小,燃料表面的升温速率随初温的升高而升高;当乙醇添加比例≥10%时,火焰稳定蔓延,表面流消失,火蔓延速度会随着燃料初温的升高而降低,燃料表面的升温速率随初温的升高而降低。     

Flame propagation behaviors of nano- and micro-scale PMMA dust explosions

Flame propagation behaviors of nano- and micro-polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) dust explosions were experimentally studied in the open-space dust explosion apparatus. High-speed photography with normal and microscopic lenses were used to record the particle combustion behaviors and flame microstructures. Simple physical models were developed to explore the flame propagation mechanisms. High-speed photographs showed two distinct flame propagation behaviors of nano- and micro-PMMA dust explosions. For nano-particles, flame was characterized by a regular spherical shape and spatially continuous combustion structure combined with a number of luminous spot flames. The flame propagation mechanism was similar to that of a premixed gas flame coupled with solid surface combustion of the agglomerates. In comparison, for micro-particles, flame was characterized by clusters of flames and the irregular flame front, which was inferred to be composed of the diffusion flame accompanying the local premixed flame. It was indicated that smaller particles maintained the leading part of the propagating flame and governed the combustion process of PMMA dust clouds. Increasing the mass densities from 105 g/m³ to 217 g/m³ for 100 nm PMMA particles, and from 72 g/m³ to 170 g/m³ for 30 μm PMMA particles, the flame luminous intensity, scale and the average propagation velocity were enhanced. Besides, the flame front became more irregular for 30 μm PMMA dust clouds.