Flame Propagation Characteristics of Gas Explosions in Utility Tunnels Considering Spatial Obstacles
Publication: Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 14, Issue 1
Abstract
Because of their adverse impact on social infrastructure and economic property, gas explosions are among the most dangerous disasters that can befall utility tunnels. Flame propagation is the most intuitive manifestation during the explosion process. It can be significantly influenced by spatial obstacles. To analyze the propagation law of gas explosions in utility tunnels more realistically, an explosion model of the utility tunnel was established by considering actual spatial obstacles, including the pipeline support and reserved frame. The flame propagation characteristics, including the flame shape, temperature distribution, and propagation velocity, were analyzed systematically. Results demonstrate that spatial obstacles have a prominent influence on flame evolution laws. Flame propagation is disturbed but not completely blocked by spatial obstacles. Rather, irregular flame shapes and wrinkles of the flame front are easily developed. The explosion process is insufficient because of the existence of residual methane in the obstacle area. Flame propagation velocity is improved remarkably, whereas temperature distribution is affected slightly. In particular, the spread velocity increases with the increase of propagation distance. The maximum velocity of monitoring surfaces can be improved by 60% under conditions with obstacles.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The works described in this paper are financially supported by National Program on Key R&D Project of China (Grant No. 2020YFB2103502), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52130807), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52008104), to which the authors are most grateful.
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Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 14 • Issue 1 • February 2023
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 16, 2022
Accepted: Sep 19, 2022
Published online: Nov 15, 2022
Published in print: Feb 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Apr 15, 2023
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