Pressure Distribution Inside Pipes due to DDT

Abstract

The ignition of a flammable gas mixture contained within a piping system can lead to damage or failure of the piping or system components. Flame propagation and acceleration within piping systems have been extensively studied. It has been well documented that, given sufficient flame propagation distance and/or the presence of turbulence generating features, flame acceleration within a pipe can lead to a deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT). The high overpressures associated with a DDT can increase the potential for deformation or failure of the piping system relative to the loads associated with either a fast deflagration or steady-state detonation. This paper presents the results of numerical evaluations to predict the pressure distributions within a pipe run due to a DDT. The blast overpressure associated with a DDT was found to depend on a number of parameters, including: the rate of flame acceleration prior to the DDT, the length of piping occupied by the flammable mixture, the initial gas pressure and the flammable mixture concentration distribution along the pipe. This paper also provides a comparison of the blast loads associated with a steady-state detonation relative to those due to a DDT.