• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.47 no.5
• /
• pp.572-579
• /
• 2009

This study is to investigate experimentally the flame structure and propagation mechanism in dust explosions and to provide the fundamental knowledge. Upward propagating laminar dust flames in a vertical duct of 1.8 m height and 0.15 m square cross-section are observed and flame front is visualized using by a high-speed video camera. Also, the thicknesses of preheated and reaction zone have been determined by a schlieren, electrostatic probe and thermocouple. The thickness of preheated zone in lycopodium dust flame is observed to be 4~13 mm, about several orders of magnitude higher than that of premixed gaseous flames. From the experimental results by a PIV(Particle Image Velocimetry) system, a certain residence time of the unburned particle in preheated zone is needed to generate combustible gas from the particle. The residence time will depend on preheated zone thickness, particle velocity and flame propagation velocity.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 1998.10a
• /
• pp.139-154
• /
• 1998

Under certain circumstance, premixed turbulent flame can be treated as wrinkled thin laminar flame and its motion in a hydrodynamic flow field has been investigated by employing G-equation. Past studies on G-equation successfully described certain aspects of laminar flame propagation such as effects of stretch on flame speed. In those studies, flames were regarded as a passive interface that does not influence the flow field. The experimental evidences, however, indicate that flow field can be significantly modified by the propagation of flames through the volume expansion of burned gas. In the present study, a new method to be used with G -equation is described to include the effect of volume expansion in the flame dynamics. The effect of volume expansion on the flow field is approximated by Biot-Savart law. The newly developed model is validated by comparison with existing analytical solutions of G -equation to predict flames propagating in hydrodynamic flow field without volume expansion. To further investigate the influence of volume expansion, present method was applied to initially wrinkled or planar flame propagating in an imposed velocity field and the average flame speed was evaluated from the ratio of flame surface area and projected area of unburned stream channel. It was observed that the initial wrinkling of flame cannot sustain itself without velocity disturbance and wrinkled structure decays into planar flame as the flame propagates. The rate of decay of the structure increased with volume expansion. The asymptotic change in the average burning speed occurs only with disturbed velocity field. Because volume expansion acts directly on the velocity field, the average burning speed is affected at all time when its effect is included. With relatively small temperature ratio of 3, the average flame speed increased 10%. The combined effect of volume expansion and flame stretch is also considered and the result implied that the effect of stretch is independent of volume release.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2001.11a
• /
• pp.111-118
• /
• 2001

Many previous researches on the premixed flame in a tube have treated the unsteady flame behaviors but more detailed and fundamental research has been necessary. The study on the flame stabilization condition in a tube and the unsteady behaviors were carried out in recent years. In this paper, a mean velocity variation larger than the burning velocity was introduced to the stabilized flame for a period longer than the reaction time scale in order to examine the unsteady behavior of flame propagation. Through our previous work it was found that the effects of non-unity Lewis number on the flame extinction was negligible in the extinction by the boundary layer even though they were important in the extinction by the acoustic instability. In this paper we carried out an analytic approach to explain the previous experimental results. It showed that the heat loss, from a flame to the wall, is not a sufficient condition but a required one for the growth of the extinction boundary layer. In addition, the quenching and the flame stretch, under a strong unsteady flow field, are the main causes of the eventual extinction.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.31-36
• /
• 2015

This study analyzed the flame characteristics when igniting 200 ml of flammable liquids containing equal parts gasoline and another flammable liquid. These mixtures were used to fill a divided space in a simulation. The length of one side of the divided space was 2,000 mm, and the length of the combustion device was 1,000 mm. The mixture with alcohol had the highest flame propagation speed (0.7 s), while the mixture with light oil showed the lowest (1.2 s). The gasoline and acetone mixture reached peak flame in 25.5 s, at the highest speed, while the mixture with light oil reached peak flame in 163.7 s at the lowest speed. The gasoline and light oil showed the longest continuous combustion time (332.7 s), while the gasoline and paint thinner showed the shortest (121.5 s). A fire inspector who is examining the scene of a fire needs to analyze both the statements of the first eyewitness and the flame characteristics collectively.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
• /
• v.19 no.12
• /
• pp.3352-3359
• /
• 1995

An Eulerian-Lagrangian method is employed to simulate the ignition process and the flame propagation through the air/fuel spray mixture in a closed constant-volume combustor. The spray mixture is ignited by providing a hot wall at the end of the combustor or by firing the electric spark. The investigated parameters involve the initial droplet size, overall equivalence ratio, initial fuel vapor concentration, distance between the hot wall and the nearest droplet, and the ignition energy. Numerical results clearly show the existence of the optimum spray condition for minimizing the ignition energy and the ignition delay time as well as the critical dependence of ignition upon the distance of the heat source to the nearest droplet.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.48-57
• /
• 2003

A cylindrical constant volume combustion chamber was used to investigate the flow characteristics at spark plug and the combustion characteristics of homogeneous charge methane-air mixture under various initial pressure, excess air ratio and ignition times in quiescent mixture. The flow characteristics such as mean velocity and turbulence intensity was analyzed by hot wire anemometer. Combustion pressure development measured by piezoelectric pressure transducer and flame propagation acquired by ICCD camera were used to investigate the effect of initial pressure, excess air ratio and ignition times on pressure, combustion duration, flame speed and burning velocity. Mean velocity and turbulence intensity had the maximum value at 200 or 300ms and then decreased to near 0 value gradually after 3 seconds. Combustion duration, flame speed and burning velocity were observed to be promoted with excess air ratio of 1.1, lower initial pressure and ignition time of 300ms.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
• /
• v.3 no.6
• /
• pp.30-40
• /
• 1995

Optically accessible D. I. diesel engine with a rectangular combustion chamber was constructed to visualize the behaviors of sprays and flames in the combustion camber with the close conditions of pressure and temperature in an actual engine. The behaviors of sprays and flames in the combustion chamber as the operating conditions of this engine were photographed with high speed camera by Diffused Background Illumination Method. With photographs taken by this method, behavior of spray droplets injected into the combustion chamber, ignition points, and flame propagation were observed and analyzed at a time-and space-dependent fashion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.119-125
• /
• 1998

In long vertical duct, the aspect of second flame in laminar flame propagating through lycopodium-air mixtures and the behavior of dust particles in neighborhood in front of flame have been examined experimentally. In order to trace the development of second flame to its origin, the velocity and vorticity distribution of dust particles in front of flame were measured by using with the real-time PIV system. The velocity of particles was approximately zero at the central part of flame front and the ahead of the flame leading edge, but maximum near the duct wall. The flame velocity of second flame and the movement of leading flame edge depend mainly on behavior of dust particles by the flow distribution of temperature and pressure.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.32-37
• /
• 2012

The aim of this study is to evaluate the characteristics of explosion and flame velocity that can be utilized to factories where Mg-Al alloy metal powders are handled in the form of raw materials, products or by-product for similar dust explosion prevention and mitigation. Because the strength of the blast pressure is the result due to flame propagation, flame velocity in dust explosion can be utilized as a valuable information for damage prediction. An experimental investigation was carried out on the influences of content ratio of Mg-Al alloy (mean particle size distribution of 151 to 161 ${\mu}m$). And a model of flame propagation velocity based on the time to peak pressure and flame arrival time in dust explosion pressure, assuming the constant burning velocity, leads to a representation of flame velocity during dust explosion. As the results, the maximum flame velocity of Mg-Al(60:40 wt%), Mg-Al(50:50 wt%) and Mg-Al(40:60 wt%) was estimated 15.5, 18 and 15.2 m/s respectively, and also tend to change with content ratio of Mg-Al.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.389-396
• /
• 1994

It is very important to clarify the ignition and flame propagation processes of methanol fuel in the Spark-ignition engine. High speed Schlieren photography and pressure trace analyses were used to study on combustion characteristics of methanol fuel in a constant volume chamber. Methanol-air mixtures equivalence rations from lean limit to 1.4 were ignited at initial pressure (0.1, 0.3, 0.5 MPa), temperature (313 343, 373 K) and ignition energy (40, 180 mJ). As the result of this study, we verified the characteristics such as ignition delay, effective thermal efficiency, flame propagation velocity, lean limit, ignitability and combustion duration. Obatained results are as follows. (1) The time to 10% reach of maximum pressure was 40-50% of the total combustion duration for this experimental condition hardly affected by equivalence ratio. (2) The Effective thermal efficiency, as calculated from maximum pressure was the highest when the mixture was slightly lean $({\phi} 0.8-0.9)$ and maximum pressure was the highest when the mixiture was slightly rich $({\phi} 1.2-1.2).$