Effect of a single orifice plate on methane-air explosion in a constant volume vessel: Position and blockage ratio dependence

Abstract

In this study, the explosion behaviors of methane-air mixtures were investigated experimentally in a cylinder vessel (210 mm inner diameter and 210 mm height) filled with a single orifice plate at atmospheric pressure (1 atm) and room temperature (298 K). The equivalence ratios of the test mixtures ranged from 0.7 to 1.3. The blockage ratios of the orifice plates were from 0.49 to 0.94, and the distance between the orifice plates and the ignition point (S) were 25 mm, 50 mm and 75 mm. The results show that the maximum explosion pressure in the presence of an orifice plate. However, the effects of the orifice plate on the maximum rate of pressure rise are various. At the fuel-lean side, the maximum pressure rise rate is increased significantly (larger than that of the stoichiometric condition). As the distance between the orifice plate and ignitor increases, the maximum pressure rise rate increases. In the case of the fuel-rich conditions, the maximum pressure rise rate is the smallest forS = 25 mm, followed by the no plate condition, S = 50 mm andS = 75 mm. The mechanisms are left for further study.