Effect of Ignition Energy on Environmental Parameters of Gas Explosion in Semiclosed Pipeline.

Abstract

In the processes of chemical production, storage, transportation, and utilization, when a gas explosion occurs, the postexplosion environmental parameters (environmental pressure, environmental temperature, and environmental humidity) are significant prerequisites for inducing secondary explosions and other derivative disasters. To investigate the variation and explore the influence of the law of ignition energy on gas explosions, experiments in a semiclosed pipeline under different ignition energies were performed. The results showed that there appeared a relatively obvious air backflow phenomenon at the opening end of the pipeline after gas explosions. The response relationship between the environmental pressure peak and ignition energy fit better with the linear function. Ignition energy had a comparatively large impact on environmental temperature. More specifically, when the ignition power was 275 W, the beginning moment of rise of the temperature was the earliest, the pressure rise rate was the fastest, the temperature peak was the highest, and the temperature rise range after explosions was the largest, respectively, 3.05 s, 14.3 °C/s, 32.8 °C, and 8.66%. However, there was no strong causal relationship between ignition energy and environmental humidity. The research contributes to understanding the changing tendencies of environmental parameters during the whole process of gas explosions and analyzes the effect law of ignition energy on environmental parameters. Meanwhile, it can provide support to prevent and weaken secondary explosions and other derivative disasters and improve the safety production capacity of the chemical industry.