Theoretical considerations on the relation between explosion and inflammation regions

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AbstractThe author emphatically distinguishes between explosion and inflammation. The shape of the inflammation regions (with pressure and composition of the mixture as variables) is discussed for such gas mixtures as possess a “low pressure inflammation region” in addition to a thermal inflammation region at a higher pressure (e.g. H2‐O2, CO‐O2, CH4‐O2).From experiments on the influence of a spark on the shape of the inflammation region and of the temperature on the position of the explosion limits, the author derives a general shape of the explosion region (as determined at room temperature). It follows from this that indentations in the explosion region may sometimes be expected in the place where thermal and low pressure inflammation regions merge. The “second pressure limits” which then occur were actually found with H2‐O2 and H2 ‐ air mixtures. The “second pressure limit” found by Lavrov and Bestchastny for CH4 ‐ air mixtures must have been due to secondary effects.The inflammation regions cannot be accounted for by one theory, although all the cases are instances of chain reactions. For, these reactions have in the thermal inflammation region a normal relationship between temperature and reaction rate, whereas this relationship is abnormal in the low pressure inflammation region. The various parts of the explosion regions can, therefore, not be accounted for by one theory either.Former attempts to explain the shape of explosion regions by either the thermal or the chain theory were wrong.A simple explanation of the association between explosion and inflammation is given.