The upper explosion limit of lower alkanes and alkenes in air at elevated pressures and temperatures.
The upper explosion limit (UEL) of ethane-air, propane-air, n-butane-air, ethylene-air and propylene-air mixtures is determined experimentally at initial pressures up to 30 bar and temperatures up to 250 degrees C. The experiments are performed in a closed spherical vessel with an internal diameter of 200 mm. The mixtures are ignited by fusing a coiled tungsten wire, placed at the centre of the vessel, by electric current. Flame propagation is said to have taken place if there is a pressure rise of at least 1% of the initial pressure after ignition of the mixture. In the pressure-temperature range investigated, a linear dependence of UEL on temperature and a bilinear dependence on pressure are found except in the vicinity of the auto-ignition range. A comparison of the UEL data of the lower alkanes shows that the UEL expressed as equivalence ratio (the actual fuel/air ratio divided by the stoichiometric fuel/air ratio) increases with increasing carbon number in the homologous series of alkanes.
Van den Schoor
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K.U. Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Celestijnenlaan 300A, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Filip.VandenSchoor@mech.kuleuven.be
Verplaetsen
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D000388:Air; D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D000475:Alkenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005107:Explosions; D006358:Hot Temperature; D011312:Pressure
D000473:Alkanes; D000475:Alkenes; D005030:Ethylenes; C036216:ethylene; C013658:propylene