Flame Velocity Research Articles

Image processing to calculate flame velocity based on Deep Learning

Image processing to calculate flame velocity based on Deep Learning

Explosion characteristics of AlH3 dust cloud with varying micron particle sizes

The explosion characteristics of AlH3 dust clouds with varying micron particle sizes are investigated in this paper. The explosion mechanism of AlH3 dust clouds is initially explored. The results indicate that the activation energy for hydrogen evolution shows an increasing trend with the AlH3 particle size, and both of these values are comparable to the 30 kJ/mol desorption energy of hydrogen from large AlH3 clusters. Due to the rapid dehydrogenation rate and small-size residual aluminum core, fine AlH3 particles exhibit a continuous gas-phase flame and fast propagation velocity. With increasing particle size, the lower dehydrogenation rate, reduced specific surface area, and higher volume heat capacity contribute to a higher level of incomplete reaction. Consequently, large micro-sized AlH3 particles display a discrete flame, slower flame velocity, and lower explosion pressure. The flame delamination phenomenon is not observed in our experiments on AlH3 dust clouds.

Effects of mixture initial conditions on deflagration to detonation transition enhanced by transverse jets

To explore the effects of mixture initial conditions on the deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) enhanced by transverse jets, numerical studies were conducted on the flame acceleration of H2/Air mixture under different initial conditions, including initial pressure, temperature, and equivalence ratio. The results indicate significant differences in flame acceleration processes under different initial pressures (0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 MPa). Changes in jet intensity and combustion rate induced by variations in mixture initial pressure collectively influence the flame acceleration process, but the impact of jet intensity is more significant. However, effective coupling between transverse wave propagation and flame acceleration is also crucial for the DDT process. Changes in mixture initial temperature (300, 350, 400, and 450 K) and equivalence ratio (0.8, 1.0, 1.2, and 1.4) have negligible impact on jet intensity. The variation trend of flame velocity under different initial temperatures or equivalence ratios is consistent, but the detonation initiation performance is slightly different. As the initial temperature increases, the DDT distance and DDT time are shortened. With an increasing equivalence ratio, the DDT distance and DDT time initially decrease and then increase, reaching the shortest at slightly rich fuel conditions.

Explosion quenching characteristics of corrugated plate microchannels in ethanol-gasoline/air mixtures

The flame quenching characteristics of ethanol gasoline are investigated under different thicknesses and porosities of corrugated plate arrester. The results indicate that increasing the flame arrester thickness or reducing porosity leads to a significant decrease in overpressure and flame velocity during ethanol gasoline explosions. The analysis of the time difference collected by the photoelectric sensor before and after the corrugated plate reveals that convective heat transfer between the ethanol gasoline flame and the corrugated plate contributes to two-thirds of the entire explosion process. The duration lengthens with the increase in corrugated plate thickness and the decrease in porosity. This observation demonstrates that increasing the corrugated plate thickness and decreasing the porosity can enhance the heat transfer between the ethanol gasoline flame and the solid microchannel. The flow resistance and Nusselt number are calculated for different porosities, and the mechanism of convective heat transfer in microchannels is analyzed in detail. It can be demonstrated that an increase in the diameter of the microchannel and the velocity of the flame will result in an increase in the Nusselt number and the promotion of convective heat transfer. In conclusion, the corrugated microchannel exhibits superior heat transfer and pressure drop capabilities, which can effectively mitigate the explosion risk associated with ethanol gasoline.

Influence of hydrogen-assisted combustion in compression ignition engines fueled with fuel blends of pine oil and waste cooking oil biodiesel using toroidal combustion chamber

In this research study, fuel blends of pine oil and waste cooking oil biodiesel (P/WCO) were examined for combustion analysis, engine performance, and emission characteristics tests. Improved combustion and engine performance were achieved using a toroidal re-entrant combustion chamber (TCC) and hydrogen supply as a dual fuel. The combustion behavior of fuel blends and hydrogen fuel was examined by varying the engine load at a constant speed. The results revealed that significant reduction in the specific fuel consumption for rich pine oil. Thus, a slightly lesser energy share from the fuel blends and a higher energy share from the hydrogen fuel was required for the engine to maintain the same brake power. Lower viscosity, higher flash point, and presence of oxygen in the pine oil enhance the combustion rate and brake thermal efficiency. Furthermore, hydrogen induction in the engine improves the flame velocity. A lesser crevice volume in the TCC can trap the unburnt fuel which can further increase the combustion efficiency. Thus, rich pine oil with the support of hydrogen induction in TCC causes advanced ignition, improved combustion, and more heat release during the combustion. The investigation results revealed that hydrogen induction increases the heat release rate and peak pressure by 7.4% and 2.67%, respectively. Similarly, the maximum of 24.55% increase in BTE and 18.22% reduction in BSFC was observed due to a constant 10 lpm hydrogen induction. Furthermore, hydrogen fuel significantly reduces the emissions such as CO, HC, CO2, and smoke. However, more NOx was generated due to more heat release rate during combustion. Thus, pine oil and waste cooking oil biodiesel blends with the support of hydrogen induction in TCC improve the engine performance and mitigate the toxic pollutants and can be a suitable alternative to diesel fuel.

A Surrogate Model of Heat Transfer Mechanism in a Domestic Gas Oven: A Numerical Simulation Approach for Premixed Flames

This paper introduces an innovative analytical model to compute flame velocities and temperatures within a premix burner in a domestic gas oven. This model significantly streamlines the heat transfer simulation process by simplifying the modeling of the thermo-chemical energy release during combustion, effectively reducing complexity and computation time. Accelerated solutions are essential at the initial design stages when comparing the effect of the oven parameter variation on the overall performance. The validation of the proposed analytical model involved experimental assessments of the temperature of the false bottom plate in a natural gas oven. The resulting data were then compared against CFD simulations performed utilizing the proposed model. The results revealed a marginal discrepancy of 4% between the experimental measurements and the outcomes generated by the model. Simulations were executed under differing conditions, encompassing scenarios with and without radiation effects. This exploration identified natural convection as the predominant heat transfer mechanism, with heat radiation contributing only modestly to the heating of the false bottom plate. Among its advantages, the proposed model offers a notable reduction in the numerical complexity of the modeling of the combustion process. Furthermore, its straightforward integration into numerical simulations involving premixed flames underscores its practical utility and versatility in evaluating design performance at the early stages of the design. Highly accurate models can be left for the final oven configuration validation.

Decoupling pyrolysis and combustion of organic powders to determine the laminar flame speed

AbstractDetermining the laminar flame speed of dusts is far from straightforward. A strong dependency on the experimental setup and the data treatment's high complexity makes it a true challenge. This work compares three complementary experimental setups to measure the laminar flame speed of organic dust (here, cellulose): a modified Hartmann tube, a 20 L sphere, and a micro‐fluidized bed (MFB) burner. The first two consider the flame propagation phenomenon in its globality, which means that numerous steps are involved simultaneously (particle heating, pyrolysis, oxidation, radiative transfer, flame stretching), while the third one decouples pyrolysis and combustion, to focus mainly on the oxidation rate. An MFB was conceived to generate pyrolysis products and burn them in a laminar flame. Unstretched flame velocities determined with the first two setups were consistent and equal to 22.0 and 26.6 cm ∙ s−1, respectively. Using Silvestrini's equation, values ranging between 14.0 and 33.4 cm ∙ s−1 were obtained according to the dust concentration. With the MFB burner, the flame speed was much higher (135–155 cm ∙ s−1), due to the higher temperature of the fresh mixture and the fact that only the oxidation of the pyrolysis gases is considered. A numerical simulation (Chemkin) confirmed these results since the range 135 to 231 cm ∙ s−1 was obtained for equivalence ratios of 0.6 and 1.2, respectively. The discrepancy between the laminar flame speed determined in the sphere or in the tube and that obtained in the MFB highlights the significant influence of particle heating and pyrolysis during a dust explosion.

A simultaneous non-invasive diagnosis method for flame temperature and velocity fields based on radiation self-calibration and optical flow

The measurement of flame temperature and velocity is crucial to combustion research, hence it is of great significance to develop a non-invasive diagnosis technology for the measurement of flame temperature and velocity. In this study, a single-camera simultaneous non-invasive diagnosis technology for flame temperature and velocity field was developed, based on radiation self-calibration and optical flow method. The diagnosis method was applied to two case studies, propane diffusion flame and solid surface spread flame. The reconstructed flame temperature field was compared with measuring results by thermocouples. Results show that the reconstructed temperature field can accurately describe the symmetrical distribution characteristics and the clear high-temperature front. The combustion zone reconstruction temperature was 1250–1380 K for propane diffusion flame and the maximum reconstruction temperature was 1400 K for solid spread flame. The maximum relative error between the reconstructed temperature and the measured values by thermocouples is less than 15 %. Additionally, the flow velocity field at the flame edge was also measured, which could provide a good qualitative characterization of flame kinematic.

Synergistic effect of hydrogen induction on the performance, combustion and emission phenomenon of dual-fuel CI engine with Chlorella vulgaris algae oil and its methyl ester

The present work aims to investigate the cumulative effect of hydrogen enrichment with the fuels of diesel, Neat chlorella vulgaris oil (NCVO), and Chlorella vulgaris methyl ester (CVME) in a mono-cylinder CI engine. The performance, combustion, and emission parameters of diesel, NCVO, and CVME are analyzed and compared to the findings obtained with hydrogen induction in the intake manifold under dual fuel configuration. With the effect of hydrogen infusion, the metrics of performance, combustion and emission parameters are improved. Under maximum load condition, the induction of hydrogen escalates the BTE from 32.74%, 28.01%, and 23.02%–35.39%, 31.40%, and 28.12% with diesel, CVME, and NCVO at maximal hydrogen share energy of 14.38%, 11.50% and 9.61% respectively. Alongside, the enrichment of hydrogen declines the carbon monoxide (CO) from 4.13, 10.38, and 19.24 g/kWh to 3.16, 8.02, and 15.26 g/kWh, unburned hydrocarbons (UHC) from 0.51, 0.71, and 2.02 g/kWh to 0.36, 0.50, and 1.64 g/kWh, smoke opacity from 55%, 75%, and 85%–43%, 67%, and 71% with diesel, CVME, and NCVO respectively. However, the hydrogen's significant flame velocity and immense calorific value confect to an elevated combustion temperature and subsequent rise in heat release rate (HRR) to, cylinder pressure, and emission of nitrogen oxide (NO). Among the tested fuels, diesel posses maximum HRR and cylinder pressure of 80.46 J/0CA and 88.67 bar respectively. Maximum specific NO emission was observed with CVME having 10.80 g/kWh, whereas diesel and NCVO has 9.49 g/kWh and 4.93 g/kWh respectively.

Understanding the mechanisms of flame quenching and flame-wall interactions in microchannel

The flow resistance and quenching characteristics of hydrogen flame in the microchannel of corrugated plates under a nitrogen environment are investigated in this paper. The analysis reveals that the explosion pressure and flame velocity decrease as the aperture of the microchannel decreases. Adding 24 % nitrogen increased the hydrogen quenching diameter from 0.5 mm to 1.4 mm in the case of the stoichiometric ratio. In light of the impact of nitrogen and microchannel characteristics, a critical flame velocity prediction formula for hydrogen flames has been established. To clarify the flame quenching mechanism, kinetic simulations and heat transfer calculations are conducted. The flow resistance and quenching temperature under different microchannel diameters are obtained. As the microchannel aperture decreases and the nitrogen concentration increases, the quenching temperature of hydrogen rises. Combined with the exothermic reaction and the heat transfer of microchannel, the flame-wall heat transfer in the microchannel is analyzed in detail. A reduction in the diameter of microchannels is beneficial in terms of enhancing the flame-wall interaction, and promote the thermal and free radical quenching of hydrogen flame. The results can be employed to elucidate the mechanism of hydrogen flame quenching and to reduce the thermal runaway hazard of hydrogen.

Experimental study on the methane explosion suppression by ultra-fine water mist containing bacteria under degradation for five times.

In a semi-closed visualization pipeline, this experiment studied the inhibitory effect of ultra-fine pure water mist, ultra-fine water mist containing inorganic salt and ultra-fine water mist containing bacteria-inorganic salt on 9.8% methane explosion under five different quality of spray volume. Combined with the methane explosion suppression experiment, the ability of methane-oxidizing bacteria to degrade 9.8% of methane was studied in a simulated pipeline. Experiments showed that the addition of inorganic salt and the degradation of methane-oxidizing bacteria could improve the suppression explosion effect of ultra-fine water mist, and the suppression explosion effect was related to the volume of water mist. Under the same ultra-fine water mist condition, with the increase of the volume of water mist, the explosion suppression effect was improved. Compared with pure methane, pure water ultra-fine water mist, and inorganic salt ultra-fine water mist, the maximum explosion overpressure and flame propagation speed under the condition of bacteria-inorganic salt ultra-fine water mist were significantly reduced. Compared with the explosion of pure methane, due to the degradation of methane by methane-oxidizing bacteria, when the degradation time was 10 h, and the volume of ultra-fine water mist containing bacteria-inorganic salt was 12.5 mL, the maximum explosion overpressure dropped significantly from 0.663 to 0.343 MPa, a decrease of 48.27%. The appearance time of the maximum explosion overpressure was delayed from 208.8 to 222.6 ms. The peak flame velocity was 4 m s-1, which was 83.3% lower than that of 9.8% pure methane explosion. This study will contribute to the development of efficient ultrafine water mist synergistic inhibitors for the prevention of methane explosion disasters.

Experimental Combustion and Flame Characterization of a Chemical Looping-Based Oxidative Dehydrogenation Byproduct Fuel Mixture Containing High CO2 Dilution

Abstract This study investigates the combustion performance of a CO2-rich fuel mixture containing ethane and methane as active species using a constant volume combustion chamber. This fuel is obtained as a byproduct of a chemical looping-based oxidative dehydrogenation (Cl-ODH) process ethylene production. The byproduct gas mixture has 40.79% CO2, 39.49% ethane, and 4.88% methane by weight with other minor compounds. Using this fuel for energy extraction would improve the process efficiency of the ethane to ethylene conversion. After initial combustion modeling, the gas fuel mixture was reduced to just the major species: CO2, ethane, and methane. The mixture was then tested for flammability limits and combustion performance under spark-ignition conditions. Effects of ambient conditions like temperatures between 300 and 400 K with initial pressures from 1 to 10 bar were tested. The effects of stoichiometry were tested to understand flame velocities and heat release. The fuel mixture showed an overall reduced flame velocity compared to gasoline. Instability in combustion was believed to be caused by the dissociation of ethane under elevated conditions. At higher pressures, the flame produces lower cumulative heat release. Simulations were also performed using a model tuned to replicate the operations of the combustion chamber used in the experiments. Heat release and unburnt fuel mass data were calculated to identify the discrepancies in the combustion completeness at elevated pressures. The effects of CO2 quenching the flame coupled with the increased dissociation of the fuel species can lead to up to more than 75% of the fuel mixture being unburnt. Data from this study were used to modify a small-scale spark-ignition engine to use this fuel and produce usable energy.

The effect of open-end ignition at different positions on the explosion behaviors of H2/CO/Air in variable cross-section pipe

This work is focused on the explosion performance of syngas/air premixed gas in a self-designed variable cross-section pipe under varying ignition positions (IP1, IP2) and hydrogen volume fraction (α(H2)). Results show that α(H2) has a great influence on the propagation of the flame as well as the maximum flame front velocity (FFVmax) and the maximum overpressure (Pmax). As α(H2) in the syngas increases, the time the flame stays in the pipe is gradually reduced, the FFVmax as well as the Pmax increase regardless of the ignition position. Differently, when α(H2) < 50%, the tclosed at IP1 is shorter than that at IP2. The opposite is true when α(H2) ≥ 50%. This is attributed to the difference in flame velocity and the effect of film breakage. Both α(H2) and variable cross-section chamber structure all affect the evolution of the flame morphology. When ignition at IP2, a “M” flame is observed for the first time at α(H2) = 20%, and a flame resembling a “T” shape appears at α(H2) = 70%. Ignition positions have a great influence on overpressure oscillation. In the case of α(H2) = 15%, the Fourier transform is performed for the pressure curve. When ignited at IP1, secondary unstable oscillations occur during the later stage of flame propagation. However, when ignition at IP2, primary instability oscillations occur in both the early and late stages of flame propagation. The variable cross-section chamber structure plays a role in the flame front velocity (FFV) and overpressure. After the flame front enters the variable section chamber, the FFV reduces, and when the flame front leaves the variable section chamber, due to the sudden decrease of the cross-sectional area, the FFV increases significantly, and FFVmax and Pmax are obtained at this moment.

Revisit the benzene oxidation at elevated pressure

The benzene (A1) oxidation was examined in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) within the temperature range of 880–1010 K at 12.0 atm under both fuel lean (Φ = 0.5) and rich (Φ = 3.0) conditions. Eighteen intermediates and products were identified and quantified by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC–MS). A kinetic model comprising 280 species and 1734 reactions was developed and validated against the experimental data to investigate the benzene reactions occurring at high pressure and low temperature. According to the sensitivity analysis, A1 + OH = A1- + H2O is the most promoting reaction for fuel consumption, while A1OH + O2 = A1O + HO2 and A1OH + OH = A1O + H2O exhibited the most inhibiting effects. HO2 radicals play an important role in the initial reaction temperature of A1 high-pressure oxidation, where the reaction rate of A1OH + O2 = A1O + HO2 is particularly critical. In comparison to previous works on A1 oxidation, oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs) benzofuran (C8H6O) and dibenzofuran (C12H8O) were newly measured and analyzed in this work. As one of the most important OPAHs species, the consumption pathway of C8H6O was updated to better describe the high-pressure oxidation. The C8H6O would potentially compete with A1 for molecular oxygen via the pathway A1 → A1O → C8H6O → decomposition products, and the process of decomposition enhances the oxygen depletion. Compared with previous oxidation studies at atmospheric pressure, the A1 initial reaction temperature shifted from 1000 to 950 K, and the temperature window of fuel conversion sharply reduced from 300 K to 70 K. Additionally, the model was effectively applied to predict the oxidation of A1 in a Jet-Stirred Reactor (JSR) over a wide range of pressures, from 0.46 to 12.0 atm. Furthermore, the developed model was compared with the laminar flame velocities (LBVs, ranging from 1.0 - 10.0 atm) and the ignition delay times (IDTs, ranging from 2.4 – 9.0 atm) data in the literature, and satisfactory agreement was obtained across a broad pressure range. The newly reported data and kinetic model provide helpful in further understanding the combustion mechanisms of aromatic hydrocarbon fuels.

Velocity match between plasma and flame in microwave-assisted spark ignition

As a prospective ignition technique, microwave-assisted spark ignition (MAI) can accelerate flame and thus satisfy the demand for effective ignition. However, its acceleration mechanism on flame velocity is still unclear, which hinders its application and optimizations. Therefore, this research focuses on understanding the flame acceleration mechanism behind MAI. In this paper, MAI is achieved through radiating a microwave pulse after spark ignition. The flame velocity and the precise absorbed energy under different combustion conditions are investigated with flame kernel's Schlieren images and microwave energy diagnostics, respectively. The results show that MAI accelerates flame primarily by the interaction between microwave plasma and flame front, rather than the free electrons within the flame. Specifically, microwave accelerating flame takes two processes: energy absorption, and velocity match. Energy absorption refers to the microwave energy absorbed by residual electrons after ignition to generate and sustain microwave plasma, while velocity match involves the outward plasma with faster velocity propelling the slower flame front. Moreover, the plasma velocity shows a positive relationship with absorbed microwave energy. The velocity match between microwave plasma and flame is important to successful flame acceleration. Besides, the efficiency of energy absorption and flame acceleration varies with plasma type (glow or incandescent). Glow plasma is characterized by effective flame acceleration but relatively low absorption efficiency, and incandescent plasma is in reverse. The maximum absorption efficiency can be elevated to 70 % with incandescent plasma occurring. Ultimately, the plasma velocity declines with its traveled distance, which might impair the flame acceleration.

Study on Explosion Characteristics and Mechanism of Electrostatic Spray Powder.

In order to fully understand the explosion risk of electrostatic spraying powder, corresponding preventive measures are put forward. The explosion characteristics, ignition sensitivity, and flame propagation of three typical electrostatic spraying powders were tested using a 20 L spherical explosion test device, a G-G furnace test device, and a Hartmann tube test device, and the explosion process and mechanism of electrostatic spraying powders were discussed. The results show that the maximum explosion pressure and the maximum explosion pressure rise rate increase first and then decrease with the increase in mass concentration. The maximum explosion pressure and the maximum explosion pressure rise rate of acrylic powder coating are the largest, which are 0.75 and 85.4 MPa/s, respectively. The shortest burning time is 97.5 ms, and the highest explosion danger level is 23.46 MPa·m/s. The flame propagation of electrostatic spraying powder develops slowly; the flame front spreads linearly and the average flame velocity increases first and then decreases. The explosive development process of powder coating particles is concentrated in the three-phase system of solid particles, molten particles, and pyrolytic gasification combustible gas, which goes through the kinetic process of particle heating melting, cross-linking curing, pyrolytic gasification, combustion, and extinction.

Explosion behavior of nonuniform hydrogen/methane/air mixtures in the presence of copper foam

The effect of copper foam on the explosion characteristics of nonuniform hydrogen/methane/air mixtures with different hydrogen volume fractions (φ) and diffusion times (DT) was investigated in a closed duct. Copper foams with different PPIs (pores per inch): 0 PPI, 20 PPI, 40 PPI, and 60 PPI were used, where 0 PPI refers to the case where there is no copper foam in the duct. The results show that a triple flame is observed in nonuniformly mixed hydrogen/methane/air mixtures after the hemispherical flame and finger flame stage, rather than the traditional plane flame and successive tulip flames. Upstream of the copper foam, the presence of the copper foam has no effect on the flame evolution process in uniformly mixed hydrogen/methane/air mixtures but affects the shape of the triple flame in nonuniformly mixed gas. The flame front develops numerous folds and cellular structures after it through the copper foam, and the flame velocity and overpressure increase rapidly. When the PPI of the copper foam is increased, the flame downstream of the copper foam becomes more disordered and irregular, and the maximum flame velocity and maximum overpressure initially increase and then decrease with increasing PPI. The maximum flame velocity and maximum overpressure are obtained in uniform and nonuniform hydrogen/methane/air mixtures when copper foams with 20 PPI and 40 PPI are used, respectively. The results provide experimental evidence for preventing and controlling hydrogen/methane fuel explosions.

Combustion of High-Pressure Hydrogen Diluted Mixtures in ESTHER Shock Tube

European Shock Tube for High-Enthalpy Research (ESTHER) is a new state-of-the-art combustion-driven shock tube developed for supporting future ESA planetary exploration missions. Its high-pressure combustion driver sports a unique innovative design where a mixture of He:H2:O2 or N2:H2:O2 gases, filled to pressures up to 100 bar, is ignited by a high-power Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser. The qualification of this facility driver has allowed for the detailed study of laser-ignited combustion processes at high initial pressures (in the 5–100 bar range), over a series of 100 shots carried out for different configurations and gas mixtures. The influence of the oxygen-to-hydrogen ratio, filling pressure, inert gas dilution, and ignition mode have been studied and are presented in this work. The effects of nitrogen vs helium dilution are also discussed. Filling pressure and helium/nitrogen dilutions have the strongest influence in peak pressure, acoustic oscillation, and combustion velocity. The first two increase, whereas the latter strongly decreases with the filling pressure. Nitrogen diluted shots have drastically lower compression ratios and flame velocity when compared to the helium ones. Acoustic perturbations/instabilities are also found to be stronger. This test campaign allowed the definition of a large range of stable and reproducible firing conditions in deflagration mode, yielding post-combustion pressures up to 660 bar.

Effects of methane concentration on flame propagation mechanisms and dynamic characteristics of methane/coal dust explosions

The study explores the flame propagation and explosion dynamic behavior of gas/powder two-phase compound explosions, taking methane and coal dust mixture as the research object. The influence of different methane concentrations on the compound explosion characteristics was researched. The vertical pipeline, high-speed camera, ion current probe, and pressure sensor be used to test the propagation behaviors, microstructure characteristics, and explosion dynamics of compound explosion flames. The function of methane concentration on the propagation behaviors, combustion reaction zone thickness, flame temperature, propagation velocity, and explosion pressure of compound flame was revealed, and the propagation mechanisms of gas/powder compound explosion flames were explained. The experimental research discovered that the compound flame of methane/coal dust explosion presents a white luminous zone with uniform distribution and appears to have an approximate homogeneous combustion state. The explosion dynamics parameters all showed a trend of first increased and then decreased as the methane concentration increased, but the reaction zone thickness of the combustion first reduced and then increased. In addition, the dominant position of homogeneous or heterogeneous combustion in the combustion reaction zone will also switch with the change in methane concentration. The compound flame is similar to premixed gas combustion under optimal methane concentration, the combustion zone thickness (δ) and preheating zone thickness (β) are the smallest, and the compound explosion shows powerful performance. In addition, the flame propagation mechanisms of methane/coal dust compound explosion were elucidated based on the theory of heat.

Effect of hydrogen ratio on leakage and explosion characteristics of hydrogen-blended natural gas in utility tunnels

Based on computational fluid dynamics technology, the effect of hydrogen blending ratio (HBR) on the concentration distribution of leaked gas diffusion in utility tunnels was investigated, and based on this, the explosion characteristics of hydrogen-blended natural gas (HBNG) were studied in an inhomogeneous concentration field. The results showed that the concentration field of HBNG gradually stabilized in the downstream of the leak site, and the peak concentration increased linearly with HBR. When HBR≤5%, a high concentration region above the upper explosive limit is formed inside the gas cloud. This characteristic of the distribution induces secondary combustion in utility tunnels. The maximum flame velocity and steady acceleration distance increase with the increase of HBR. The flame shape is significantly affected by the concentration field distribution. The explosion overpressure induced by the real concentration field created multiple peak structures that exacerbated the explosion disaster complexity. The first overpressure peak at the ends was formed by the superposition of the precursor shock wave and its reflected wave, and those at other locations are caused by the shock waves. However, all maximum overpressure peaks are formed by the superposition of multiple reflections of the explosion wave. The maximum peak overpressure at both ends of the tunnel is higher than that in the middle. The explosion overpressure induced by the inhomogeneous gas cloud is lower than that caused by homogeneous gas cloud under the same volume. The research results can provide an effective reference for the anti-explosion design and risk assessment of utility tunnel.