Pressure evolution of ethylene-air explosions in enclosures

Abstract

The peak explosion pressure and the maximum rate of pressure rise are important safety parameters for assessing the hazard of a process and for design of vessels able to withstand an explosion or of their vents used as relief devices. Using ethylene-air with various fuel concentrations (4-10 vol% C2H4) as test mixture, the propagation of explosion in four closed vessels (a spherical vessel with central ignition and three cylindrical vessels with various L/D ratios, centrally or side ignited) has been studied at various initial pressures between 0.3–2.0 bar. In all cases, the peak pressures and the maximum rates of pressure rise were found to be linear functions on the total initial pressure, at constant fuel concentration. Examining several enclosures, the maximum values of explosion pressures and rates of pressure rise have been found for the spherical vessel. For the same initial conditions, the peak explosion pressure and maximum rates of pressure rise determined in cylindrical vessels decrease with the increase of L/D ratio. Asymmetric ignition, at vessel's bottom, induces important heat losses during flame propagation. This process is characterized by the lowest rates of pressure rise, as compared to propagation of flame ignited in the centre of the same vessel.