Effect of a Perforated Polyethylene Material on Propane-Air Explosion in a Confined Space

ABSTRACT: In this study, the effect of polyethylene barriers with different blockage ratios on the explosion behavior of a propane- air premixed gas in a confined space is investigated. The maximum explosion pressure (Pmax), the deflagration index (KG), and the flame propagation process of the propane-air premixed gas with different barrier thicknesses are examined by using a horizontal closed tube with a length of 0.5 m and a diameter of 0.1 m and a high-speed camera. The atmospheric pressure and temperature of the premixed gas were 101.3 kPa and 18 degrees C, respectively. Based on the Canny operator, the position of the flame front at different times and the shape of the barriers before and after the explosion are determined, and the propagation speed of the premixed flame and the deformation rate of the barriers are obtained. The results indicate that the barriers change the flow field structure of the unburned gas and increase the folding degree of the flame front. With the increase in the blockage ratio, the explosion of a premixed system becomes more rapid and violent. Under the action of Rayleigh-Taylor instability, the variation in the flame propagation speed induces a change in the tube pressure. In addition, the deformation of a barrier causes a change in the maximum explosion pressure. The greater the deformation ratio of the barrier after the explosion, the larger the maximum explosion pressure.