CFD simulation of pool fires situated at differing elevation

When two or more pool fires happen to burn so close to each other that they interact, they are termed ‘multiple pool fires’ (MPF). Past accident analysis reveals that MPFs occur quite frequently in chemical process industries. Controlled experiments done so far to study MPFs have indicated that MPFs lead to increase in the fuel burning rate, flame height and heat release rate (HRR) but the nature and the extent of the impacts of different factors on these manifestations is as yet poorly understood. In this context computational fluid dynamics (CFD) appears to be a tool which can enable more detailed and realistic simulation of MPFs than other possible approaches, especially due to its ability to closely approximate the underlying physical phenomena. In tank farms there are situations where different storage tanks are placed at different elevations yet close to each other. If such tanks happen to catch fire, the resulting fires may influence each other in a manner that may be a function of the difference in the tanks’ elevation. However no CFD study has been carried out which addresses this type of situation. Hence an attempt has been made to employ CFD to study MPFs involving two pools with fuel surfaces are at different elevations. Results reveal that good correlation is possible between the experimental findings and the CFD simulations.     

超燃冲压发动机凹腔内补氧的强化点火试验

在超燃冲压发动机扩张型燃烧室中,对凹腔内局部补氧的点火强化方法进行了试验研究。采用高速摄影手段研究了不同的补氧方式对凹腔内火焰分布特征和燃烧强度的影响,并针对并联双凹腔燃烧室构型,研究了在单侧凹腔补氧条件下向异侧凹腔的火焰传播过程。试验结果表明,采用凹腔内补氧的方式能调节凹腔内的燃料浓度分布、改善凹腔内的燃烧过程,控制燃烧放热强度;稳态燃烧情况下,观察到凹腔驻留火焰的两种存在特征,分别表现为:由回流区热量反馈机制作用下的凹腔局部驻留火焰和燃烧室全局压力反馈影响下的凹腔剪切层火焰。只有在单侧凹腔燃烧建立了全局压力反馈的条件下才能实现凹腔火焰的异侧传播。      

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

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

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.     

Numerical simulation of flame acceleration and deflagration-to-detonation transition of ethylene in channels

Ethylene (C₂H₄) is a hydrocarbon fuel and widely used in chemical industry, however, ethylene is highly flammable and therefore presents a serious fire and explosion hazard. This work is initiated by addressing the hazard assessment of ethylene mixtures in different scale channels (d = 5 mm, 10 mm and 20 mm) from the aspect of flame acceleration (FA) and deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) by using large eddy simulation (LES) method coupled with the artificially thickened flame (ATF) approach. The fifth order local characteristics based weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) conservative finite difference scheme is employed to solve the governing equations. The numerical results confirm that flame velocity increase rapidly at the beginning stage in three channels, and the flame acceleration rate is slower in the subsequent stage, afterwards, the flame velocity has an abrupt increase, and the onset of detonation occurs. Due to the fact that wall effect is significant in the narrow channel (e.g.,5 mm), especially in the ignition stage of the flame, flames have different shapes in wider channels (10 mm and 20 mm) and narrow channel (5 mm). Both the pressure and temperature profiles confirm DDT run-up distances are 0.251 m, 0.203 m and 0.161 m in 20 mm, 10 mm and 5 mm channels, respectively, which indicates that a shorter run-up distance is required in narrower channel. The cellular detonation structures for the ethylene-air mixture in different channels indicate that multi-headed detonation structures can be found in 20 mm channel, as the channel width decreases to 10 mm, detonation has a single-headed spinning structure, as the width is further reduced to 5 mm, only large longitudinal oscillation of the pressure can be observed.     

Flame acceleration in pipes containing bends of different angles

Bend structures are common in process industries. These bends containing three typical angles (90°, obtuse angle and acute angle) are often incorporated into pipes or ducts at different positions. In our experiments, the effect of both the bend angle and bend position on flame acceleration was studied. Flame acceleration in a pipe bend can be divided into three stages. The flame speeds increased before the bend and increased again after decreasing for a short distance in the bend. Flame reversing decreased the flame speeds in the bend and led to additional turbulence, which enhanced flame acceleration after the bend. The flame acceleration in three different pipe bend angles had similar trends. The decreasing amplitude of the flame speed in the bend increased with a decrease in the bend angles. The flame speeds in the bend were ordered such that 52° <90° <145°. However, the maximum flame speeds in the pipe were in the opposite order. Additionally, both the flame speeds in the bends and the maximum flame speeds in the whole pipes increased as the bend’s position away from ignition point increased.     

典型聚合物材料平行双板水平火蔓延规律研究

为了研究固体可燃物多火焰火蔓延规律及传热控制机理,开展了竖向水平排列的PMMA单一平板和平行双板火蔓延规律研究。基于水平火蔓延实验台,考虑平板尺寸、平行双板的竖直间距两个主要因素,分析此类条件下的火蔓延速度、火焰高度和火焰宽度等参数。实验研究发现,PMMA板水平火蔓延过程中,热解前锋呈V型,预热区长度随平板间距的增大先增大后减小。平行双板工况下,在研究考虑的间距范围内火焰始终保持合并,火蔓延速度、火焰高度及宽度明显大于单一平板,且均随间距的增加先增大后减小,三者峰值出现的位置与样件尺寸有关。上层PMMA板上下表面的辐射热流随间距的变化规律与火蔓延速度变化规律一致,因此推断辐射作用在平行双板水平火蔓延中起到主导作用。     

DMMP对二甲醚层流预混火焰的影响研究

二甲醚(DME)作为可再生的清洁燃料,因为其优越的性能而越来越受关注,但与此同时其燃烧的安全性却容易被忽视。自蒙特利尔议定书以后,含磷化合物成为抑制碳氢化合物火焰最理想的卤代烷替代物,选取甲基磷酸二甲酯(DMMP)应用于二甲醚火焰,基于分层结构首次构筑了DME/DMMP详细化学反应机理。通过模拟研究发现,DMMP对DME层流预混火焰表现出与碳氢火焰同样明显的抑制作用。进一步进行火焰抑制机理分析,结果显示DMMP对DME层流火焰的抑制主要是因为PO_2和HOPO的循环反应促进了H和OH重组,同时得出DMMP对DME富燃火焰抑制更有效的结论。     

Fast and tiny: A model for the flame propagation of nanopowders

To avoid the influence of external parameters, such as the vessel volume or the initial turbulence, the explosion severity should be determined from intrinsic properties of the fuel-air mixture. Therefore, the flame propagation of gaseous mixtures is often studied in order to estimate their laminar burning velocity, which is both independent of external factors and a useful input for CFD simulation. Experimentally, this parameter is difficult to evaluate when it comes to dust explosion, due to the inherent turbulence during the dispersion of the cloud. However, the low inertia of nanoparticles allows performing tests at very low turbulence without sedimentation. Knowledge on flame propagation concerning nanoparticles may then be modelled and, under certain conditions, extrapolated to microparticles, for which an experimental measurement is a delicate task. This work focuses on a nanocellulose with primary fiber dimensions of 3 nm width and 70 nm length. A one-dimensional model was developed to estimate the flame velocity of a nanocellulose explosion, based on an existing model already validated for hybrid mixtures of gas and carbonaceous nanopowders similar to soot. Assuming the fast devolatilization of organic nanopowders, the chemical reactions considered are limited to the combustion of the pyrolysis gases. The finite volume method was used to solve the mass and energy balances equations and mass reactions rates constituting the numerical system. Finally, the radiative heat transfer was also considered, highlighting the influence of the total surface area of the particles on the thermal radiation. Flame velocities of nanocellulose from 17.5 to 20.8 cm/s were obtained numerically depending on the radiative heat transfer, which proves a good agreement with the values around 21 cm/s measured experimentally by flame visualization and allows the validation of the model for nanoparticles.     

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.