The effect of vent burst pressure on a vented hydrogen–air deflagration in a 1 m3 vessel

Abstract

A series of experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of vent burst pressure on stoichiometric hydrogen–air premixed flame propagation and pressure history in a 1 m3 rectangular vessel in this paper. Pressure buildup and flame evolution are recorded using piezoelectric pressure transducers and a high-speed camera, respectively. The results show typical pressure peaks of three different mechanisms for all vent burst pressures in the experiments. The first pressure peak, generated by the rupture of the vent cover, increases with the vent failure pressure, with the subsequent outflow inertia of combustion products giving rise to a negative pressure. The second pressure peak results from the constant bulk motion of the flame bubble (the Helmholtz oscillation), and the third is produced by the interaction between the combustion waves and the acoustic waves. The time interval between the first pressure peak and the second pressure transient remained nearly constant. The Helmholtz oscillation always appears as the vent ruptures and its magnitude increases with the vent burst pressure. Furthermore, the lower the vent failure pressure, the longer the Helmholtz oscillation is sustained. The peak of the acoustically enhanced pressure always occurs within several milliseconds of the flame front touching the vessel. From a theoretical perspective, Rasbash's equation models the relationship between the maximum reduced explosion overpressure and the vent burst pressure precisely. Also, it is observed that the maximum lengths of the external flames were found to be nearly identical in all tests, but the average propagation rate of the flame front increases with the vent burst pressure. It is interesting that a phenomenon of intense oscillation of internal flame bubble was observed with the increase of vent burst pressure.