Explosion suppression effect and mechanism analysis of ceramic foam in the horizontal pipe

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ceramic foams are potential materials for explosion suppression due to their complex three-dimensional porous structure and strong wave absorption capabilities. The ability of ceramic foams to suppress methane/air explosion was investigated in a large-scale horizontal pipe. The factors of pore size and thickness of the ceramic foam were taken into consideration, and the explosion overpressure and explosion energy were compared and discussed collectively. Furthermore, mechanisms for the suppression of ceramic foams were also analyzed. Results indicated that ceramic foam has a good quenching effect on explosions compared to the conditions in an empty pipe. It can effectively decrease the explosion overpressure and explosive energy, thus limiting the flame propagation owing to insufficient fuel supply. The tendency for maximum explosion overpressure and explosion energy varied significantly by changing the thickness and pore size. It is worth noting that the attenuation rate of the maximum overpressure is generally greater than 50%, and the Al2O3 ceramic foam showed a better suppression performance than SiC. Additionally, the inhibitory effect is most obvious at 15 mm-20ppi Al2O3 and 30 mm-30ppi SiC, where the maximum explosion overpressure was reduced to 0.11 MPa and 0.19 MPa. However, the reduction of explosive energy is the combined result of the thickness and size of the pores. Overall, 15 mm Al2O3 and 30 mm SiC were more advantageous in suppressing gas explosions. This work supports the mechanism for preventing and suppressing gas explosions while using ceramic foam, and it might serve as a technological reference for the construction of explosion-proof devices. It is essential to avoid and control explosions in gas pipelines, thereby successfully enhancing the safety guarantee in gas pipeline transportation and engineering applications.