The influence of inert gas on the lower flammability limit of propane

LU Yi; HU Xianzhong; ZHANG Guodong

doi:10.11883/bzycj-2021-0231

Volume 42 Issue 2

Feb. 2022

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LU Yi, HU Xianzhong, ZHANG Guodong. The influence of inert gas on the lower flammability limit of propane[J]. Explosion And Shock Waves, 2022, 42(2): 025401. doi: 10.11883/bzycj-2021-0231

Citation:

LU Yi, HU Xianzhong, ZHANG Guodong. The influence of inert gas on the lower flammability limit of propane[J]. Explosion And Shock Waves, 2022, 42(2): 025401. doi: 10.11883/bzycj-2021-0231

LU Yi, HU Xianzhong, ZHANG Guodong. The influence of inert gas on the lower flammability limit of propane[J]. Explosion And Shock Waves, 2022, 42(2): 025401. doi: 10.11883/bzycj-2021-0231

Citation:

LU Yi, HU Xianzhong, ZHANG Guodong. The influence of inert gas on the lower flammability limit of propane[J]. Explosion And Shock Waves, 2022, 42(2): 025401. doi: 10.11883/bzycj-2021-0231

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The influence of inert gas on the lower flammability limit of propane

doi: 10.11883/bzycj-2021-0231

School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shengyang 110819, Liaoning, China

Received Date: 2021-06-07
Rev Recd Date: 2021-07-13

Available Online: 2022-01-13

Publish Date: 2022-02-28

Abstract

Abstract

Propane is a main component of liquefied petroleum gas, and the lower flammability limit is an important indicator for evaluating the safety of combustible gases. The addition of diluent gas can affect the lower flammability limit and reduce the flammable range of propane, so as to achieve the purpose of explosion suppression. CO₂, N₂ and Ar are commonly used as diluents in the industry. In order to explore their influence on the lower flammability limit of C₃H₈, the lower flammability limits of C₃H₈ under O₂/CO₂, O₂/Ar and O₂/N₂ atmosphere were measured in a 5 L explosive container based on the American ASTM E681-09 standard. The gas mixture was configured according to the partial pressure of each gas, and a pair of high-voltage electrodes was used for ignition. The influences of dilution gas concentration, dilution gas type and O₂ concentration on the lower flammability limit of C₃H₈ was analyzed. The results show that CO₂ has the greatest impact on the lower flammability limit of C₃H₈, followed by N₂ and Ar. With the increase of O₂ concentration, the lower flammability limit under O₂/CO₂ atmosphere decreases significantly, and the lower flammability limit under O₂/N₂ and O₂/Ar atmosphere shows a gentle increase. An energy balance equation was established to calculate the radiative heat loss (Q_r) and endothermic loss (Q_t) of the mixed gas at the lower flammability limit. The effects of specific heat and radiation on the lower flammable limit were compared. The results show that the change in the specific heat of the mixture is the main reason for the change of the lower flammability limit of C₃H₈, and the radiant heat loss is an important factor in the change of the lower flammability limit. As the concentration of diluent increases, CO₂ has the largest impact on λ（Q_t） and λ（Q_r） followed by Ar and N₂. The adiabatic flame temperature is an important factor that affects the change of the lower flammability limit.
- O₂/CO₂ atmosphere,
- lower flammability limit,
- C₃H₈,
- radiant heat loss

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References(26)

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