Numerical simulation of the inhibition process of methane-air explosion under cold aerosol

Abstract

In order to study the methane-air explosion suppression problem, a certain size experimental tube was used as the physical model, and Gambit was used for modelling. The ANSYS 15.0 software was used to simulate the methane-air explosion suppression process under the action of cold aerosol, and the simulation results were compared with the results of the experimental studies in the open literature. It can be seen from the numerical simulation results that the concentration of cold aerosol had a significant effect on the methane-air explosion process. When the concentration of cold aerosol was low, the methane-air would explode. The pressure-time curve in the experimental tube showed four stages: the explosion induction period, the pressure rise phase, the explosion pressure peak value phase and the explosion pressure decay phase. With the increase of the aerosol concentration, the explosion induction period was significantly prolonged, and the maximum explosion pressure was slightly decreased, and the time to reach the maximum explosion pressure was also significantly prolonged. When the cold aerosol concentration reached a certain threshold, the methane-air no longer exploded. Compared with the experimental results, the simulated values of the explosion induction period, the maximum explosion pressure value, the maximum explosion pressure time and the final pressure value under different cold aerosol concentrations matched well with the experimental measurements. Therefore, numerical simulation can provide a reference for the study of methane-air explosion suppression performance under cold aerosol.