Suitability of electrostatic ignition to determine the explosive characteristics of different types of dust in the 5-L explosion vessel

Abstract

To reveal the effect of electrostatic ignition on the measurement of different types of dust explosion characteristics. In this study, the explosion characteristics of corn starch, aluminum powder, and hexogen (RDX) were studied in the 5-L explosion vessel using electrostatic and pyrotechnical igniter respectively. The energy release characteristics of these two ignition methods were studied using the schlieren technique. The results showed that the explosion pressures of the three dust clouds measured by electrostatic and pyrotechnical igniter under the same conditions were basically the same. The rate of explosion pressure rise for corn starch and aluminum powder measured by electrostatic ignition was less than that measured by the pyrotechnical igniter. Whereas the opposite was true for RDX. Different ignition methods affect the rate of explosion pressure rise by influencing the time it takes for the flame to propagate from the center of the explosion vessel to its walls.