Detonability of Natural Gas-Air Mixtures

Details

• Personal Author:
  Addis JD ; Gamezo VN ; Karnack FA ; Kessler D ; Marchewka WP ; Mohamed KM ; Oran ES ; Sapko, Michael J. ; Sellers DD ; Weiss, Eric S. ; Zipf, R. Karl, Jr.
• Description:
  Direct initiation experiments were carried out in a 105 cm diameter tube to study detonation properties and evaluate the detonability limits for mixtures of natural gas (NG) with air. The natural gas was primarily methane with 1.5-1.7% of ethane. A stoichiometric methane-oxygen mixture contained in a large plastic bag was used as a detonation initiator. Self-supporting detonations with velocities and pressures close to theoretical CJ values were observed in NG-air mixtures containing from 5.3% to 15.6% of NG at atmospheric pressure. These detonability limits are wider than previously measured in smaller channels, and close to the flammability limits. Detonation cell patterns recorded near the limits vary from large cells of the size of the tube to spiral traces of spin detonations. Away from the limits, detonation cell sizes decrease to about 20 cm for 10 percent NG, and are consistent with existing data for methane-air mixtures obtained in smaller channels. Observed cell patterns are very irregular, and contain secondary cell structures inside primary cells and fine structures inside spin traces. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ethane Explosions Methane Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Ethanes Explosive-atmospheres Explosive-gases Gas-mixtures Gases Ignitability Methanes Mine-gases Mining-industry Natural-gas
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  0010-2180
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OMSHR - Office of Mine Safety and Health Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  159
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20039820
• Citation:
  Combust Flame 2012 Feb; 159(2):870-881
• Contact Point Address:
  Vadim N. Gamezo, Laboratory for Computational Physics and Fluid Dynamics, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ethane (CAS RN 74-84-0) ; Methane (CAS RN 74-82-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Combustion and Flame
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:862c62ceacdc3df82dc76598e5db8af7298d6f5ef8718427b3355afdf625111b1c1641a5da1e687efb05ea7d0abe9da4bc08b9a258e1771eff876c4c66f04bd9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227386/cdc_227386_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.26 MB ]