Hydrogen-air explosion with concentration gradients in a cubic enclosure

Abstract

An inhomogeneous hydrogen-air mixture is induced once hydrogen leakage occurs, and an explosion may be triggered due to an accidental ignition with sufficient strength. The effects of different hydrogen concentration gradients on flame behavior and overpressure were experimentally investigated in a closed cubic vessel with a volume of 0.125 m3. The transverse concentration gradients of hydrogen injected from the top face of the vessel were recorded using five oxygen sensors. A high-speed photography was employed to capture the flame shape evolution and the flame tip velocity was derived. Three piezoelectric pressure transducers were mounted on the top and side walls to measure the pressure-time profiles. The results show that the maximum overpressure in homogeneous mixtures is larger than that in inhomogeneous mixtures for fuel-lean hydrogen-air mixtures. However, the maximum overpressure in inhomogeneous mixtures is equal to or larger than that in homogeneous mixtures for fuel-rich hydrogen-air mixtures. Due to a larger difference between the upward and downward flame speeds, a mushroom-like shape flame was recorded in inhomogeneous hydrogen-air mixtures in fuel-lean to slightly fuel-rich hydrogen-air mixtures. The flame speed in two directions has the almost same value in inhomogeneous fuel-richer mixtures. The average flame speed in inhomogeneous mixtures is significantly larger than that in homogeneous mixtures for fuel-rich hydrogen air mixtures.