Flammability limits, explosion pressures, and applicability of Le Chatelier's rule to binary alkane–nitrous oxide mixtures

Abstract

Abstract This study investigates the flammability limits and explosion pressures of alkane–alkane–nitrous-oxide (N 2 O) mixtures and corresponding alkane–alkane–O 2 mixtures at an initial pressure of 101.3 kPa and an initial temperature of approximately 20 °C. In addition, the present study assesses whether Le Chatelier's rule holds for binary alkane mixtures in N 2 O. In this study, methane (CH 4 ), ethane (C 2 H 6 ), propane (C 3 H 8 ), n-butane (C 4 H 10 ), and n-pentane (C 5 H 12 ) were used as fuels. The results clearly indicated that the lower and upper flammability limits of binary alkane–N 2 O mixtures are smaller than those of the corresponding binary alkane–O 2 mixtures. Furthermore, Le Chatelier's formula successfully predicted the lower and upper flammability limits of binary alkane mixtures in N 2 O.