Visualization of the external flow field during a vented explosion for hydrogen-air mixtures: Effects of hydrogen concentrations and vent areas

Abstract

To study the effects of hydrogen concentrations and vent areas on the vented hydrogen-air explosion, series of experiments were performed in a cylindrical tube under the conditions of 1 atm and 10 ℃. The pressure oscillation frequency is proportional to the hydrogen concentration, while the Helmholtz oscillation disappeared gradually with the increase of Kv. The position inside the container which was farther away from the vent cover would experience the higher dynamic loading. The volume concentration of the hydrogen at the external field (cExt) was always lower than the initial hydrogen concentration, that increased with the increase of the initial concentration, while it was zero at some concentrations with the increase of Kv. The external flame velocity of rich fuel was always larger than that of lean fuel. The deflagration to detonation (DDT) in the outer field was easier to achieve for the concentration near to 50 vol% and for lower Kv. The secondary explosion wave (PExt) increased firstly and then decreased with the increase of hydrogen concentration, which decreased with the increase of Kv in general. The maximum surface temperature rose with the increase of concentration and dropped with the increase of Kv in general. The high-temperature field was closer to the vent for lower concentration and higher Kv.