Experimental and numerical study of the influence of vent burst pressure on venting characteristic of hydrogen-air explosion

Vented explosion is an effective solution to the potential security problem posed by accidental explosions during the operation of storage systems of gaseous fuels. Experimental high-speed photos, pressure histories, and numerical simulation are used to study vented explosion of the hydrogen-air mixture. This work discusses the dynamic of premixed flame propagation and the flame/vortex interaction. Large-eddy simulation turbulent combustion model is adopted to explain the interaction between flame front, turbulent flow, and pressure wave. All experiments and simulations were conducted at 298 K and 1 atm. Numerical simulation reproduces the vented hydrogen-air explosion and provides further understanding of the mechanism of external explosion. The influence of vent burst pressure on the vented explosion is also studied using simulated flame temperature, flow velocity, and pressure history. The simulation result reproduces internal pressure details accurately. Flame front propagation velocity shows four different processes in experimental and simulated flame images. The turbulent flame velocity exhibits a similar trend. The pressure rise mechanism is analyzed using the pressure curve, venting rate, and volume rate of combustion.