Experiments on the upper explosion limits of gaseous alkanes-oxygen mixtures at elevated conditions of T and P in a spherical vessel

This experimental work has been completed in the Institute of Heat Engineering Laboratories of Warsaw University of Technology. The article reports on the explosion pressure data and the influence of chosen physical parameters on the value of the Upper Explosive Limit (UEL) of gaseous alkanes-oxygen mixtures. Such explosion behavior data of common gases for different initial conditions are essential for a quantitative risk assessment in many industrial environments. A number of higher alkanes-oxygen mixtures were examined (up to n-butane). Summarized research data is presented in the paper. All the presented data have been obtained from the experiments conducted in a 2.3 dm3 spherical, steel vessel. Exploding wir e was used as the mean of ignition source. It released approx. 0.1 J energy each time. The pressure histories in the combustion vessel have been recorded by means of piezoelectric pressure transducer. The influence of the increased initial temperatures of the tested mixtures on their value of UEL was investigated in the range of 20°C up to 200°C. Further experiments on the influence of elevated pressure, as well as the position of the ignition source, were carried out too. The experiments allowed the authors to find distinct dependencies in the values of obtained UEL under elevated conditions of pressure and temperature.