Citation

Eckhoff RK, Fuhre K, Guirao CM, Lee JHS. Fire Safety J. 1984; 7(2): 191-197.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1984, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The experiments described were performed in 1979, but have not been reported in the open literature until now. Stoichiometric propane-in-air explosions in a cylindrical 50 m3 vessel (length 10 m, diameter 2.5 m) with a 4.7 m2 uncovered vent were studied. The influence of the turbulence of the gas during combustion on the maximum explosion pressure was of prime concern. Turbulence was produced by means of a strong gas jet generated by starting the explosion in a smaller, 1 m3 tube filled to a varying extent with turbulence generating obstacles and attached to the closed end of the main 50 m3 vessel, opposite to the vent.The experiments disclosed that a wide range of maximum overpressures in the vented 50 m3 vessel, from 0.2 bar to 3.0 bar, could be produced, depending on the jet properties. Furthermore the blast wave overpressure transmitted into the surroundings was closely correlated to the maximum overpressure in the vented enclosure, even in the far field.A closer study of the explosion development inside the obstacle-filled 1 m3 jet generation tube revealed that the initial laminar flame could transform into full detonation over a length of flame travel of only a few metres.There is a strong need for reconsidering the treatment of the influence of turbulence in some vent design guidelines in current use.