Experimental study on flame spread along fuel cylinders in high pressures

Flame spread over solid fuels in high‐pressure situations, such as nuclear containment shells during a pressurized period, has potential to result in catastrophic disaster, thus requiring further knowledge. This paper experimentally reveals the flame spread behaviors over fuel cylinders in high pressures. Polyethylene and polymethyl‐methacrylate cylinders with the diameter of 4.0 mm are used in this study. Ambient gas is air, and total pressures are varied from naturally normal pressure (100 kPa) to elevated pressure (500 kPa). Flame characteristics including flame appearance and flame size and burning rate and flame spread rate are investigated. Results show that in high pressure, the flame appearance is significantly affected. As the pressure increases, the blue flame disappeared, and the color of flame tip changes from luminous yellow to orange as well the orange part extends down towards the base of flame. The dimensionless flame height increases with pressure for pressure below 150 kPa and then decreases with pressure above that level. The burning rates show increasing trend with pressure and are proportional to P^0.6 and P^0.79 for polymethyl‐methacrylate and polyethylene, respectively. Besides, flame spread rates for polymethyl‐methacrylate and polyethylene both were found to be proportional to P^0.5.     

Numerical investigation of the effects of H2/CO/syngas additions on laminar premixed combustion characteristics of NH3/air flame

Co-firing NH₃ with H₂/CO/syngas (SYN) is a promising method to overcome the low reactivity of NH₃/air flame. Hence, this study aims to systematically investigate the laminar premixed combustion characteristics of NH₃/air flame with various H₂/CO/SYN addition loadings (0–40%) using chemical kinetics simulation. The numerical results were obtained based on the Han mechanism which can provide accurate predictions of laminar burning velocities. Results showed that H₂ has the greatest effects on increasing laminar burning velocities and net heat release rates of NH₃/air flame, followed by SYN and CO. CO has the most significant effects on improving NH₃/air adiabatic flame temperatures. The H₂/CO/SYN additions can accelerate NH₃ decomposition rates and promote the generation of H and NH₂ radicals. Furthermore, there is an evident positive linear correlation between the laminar burning velocities and the peak mole fraction of H + NH₂ radicals. The reaction NH₂ + NH <=> N₂H₂ + H and NH₂ + NO <=> NNH + OH have remarkable positive effects on NH₃ combustion. The mole fraction of OH × NH₂ radicals positively affects the net heat release rates. Finally, it was discovered that H radicals play an important role in the generation of NO. The H₂/CO/SYN additions can reduce the hydrodynamic and diffusional-thermal instabilities of NH₃/air flame. The NH₃ reaction pathways for NH₃–H₂/CO/SYN-air flames can be categorized mainly into NH₃–NH₂–NH–N–N₂, NH₃–NH₂–HNO–NO(?N₂O)–N₂ and NH₃–NH₂(?N₂H₂)–NNH–N₂. CO has the greatest influence on the proportions of three NH₃ reaction routes.     

Synthesis of a novel DOPO‐based polyphosphoramide with high char yield and its application in flame‐retardant epoxy resins

A novel and highly effective flame retardant (FR), DOPO‐TPMP oligomer, was synthesized by a simple condensation of 4‐(hydroxymethyl)‐2,6,7‐trioxa‐1‐phosphabicyclo[2.2.2]octane‐1‐oxide and phosphorus oxychloride followed by a polycondensation reaction with 6‐(2,5‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐6H‐dibenzo[c,e][1,2]oxaphosphinine‐6‐oxide. The chemical structure of DOPO‐TPMP was well characterized using Fourier transform infrared and NMR spectra. DOPO‐TPMP was used as an additive‐type FR for epoxy resin (EP). The FR properties of the resultant EP composites were investigated by limiting oxygen index (LOI) test, UL‐94 vertical burning test and cone calorimeter measurements. Specifically, the EP composite containing 10.0% DOPO‐TPMP achieved a LOI value of 36.1%, V‐0 rating in the UL‐94 test and a 58% reduction in peak heat release rate. Further mechanism analysis attributed the enhanced flame retardancy to the increased char yield on the addition of DOPO‐TPMP. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Study on downward flame spread over extruded polystyrene foam in a vertical channel: Influence of opening area

Experimental methods and theoretical analysis are employed to investigate effects of channel opening area on downward flame spread characteristics of extruded polystyrene (XPS) thermal insulation materials on building facade. The average flame height first drops and then rises as dimensionless opening area (the ratio of sidewall opening area to sidewall area, ie, S^*) increases. As S^* rises, both the average and maximum temperature of the curtain wall decrease, and the decreasing of the average temperature is linear. XPS surface temperature history can be divided into four stages, ie, inapparent rising stage (preheating), significant rising stage (melting), dropping stage (pyrolysis), and rerising stage (ignition). The preheating length first rises and then drops as S^* increases. The XPS flame spreads steadily at the early period while acceleration occurs at the later period. For different opening areas, the difference in spread distance history is not apparent in the early stage while this difference is significant in the later stage. The flame spread rate (V_f) first increases and then decreases as S^* rises. A downward flame spread model for XPS in vertical channel with openings is built. The varied trend of V_f predicted using this model corresponds to the experimental result.     

A model of splats deposition state and wear resistance of WC-10Co4Cr coating

In this research both low temperature high velocity oxygen-fuel flame (LT-HVOF) and high velocity oxygen-fuel flame (HVOF) techniques were employed to prepare WC-10Co4Cr splats and coatings. In situ cutting of WC-10Co-4Cr splats was carried out with focused ion beam (FIB), and a model was proposed to describe how the wear resistance of WC-10Co4Cr coatings was correlated with its residual stress state and the splats deposition state. It was observed that in LT-HVOF spraying process, WC-10Co4Cr splats were slightly melted showing "hill" shape, while in HVOF spraying process, the splats were half melted having the appearance of "concavity". The residual stress of WC-10Co4Cr coatings is determined by the size, melting state, flight speed and temperature gradient of splats. In this paper, the quantitative function formula involving heating temperature and the flight speed of the powder is put forward for the first time to predict the wear resistance of the WC-10Co4Cr coatings. This will provide a theoretical basis for engineering practice and an effective way to save costs.     

二甲醚球形扩散火焰的熄火机理研究

采用改进的PREMIX模型及"化学爆炸模式分析(CEMA)"方法,对二甲醚(DME)球形扩散火焰的熄火机理进行数值诊断,分析环境氧气摩尔分数(X_(O_2))及详细基元反应对熄火极限的影响,利用"爆炸因子"和"分岔因子"的概念,确定控制DME球形扩散火焰熄火的关键反应动力学因素。结果表明:DME冷焰具有比热焰更宽的可燃范围;冷焰对X_(O_2)的敏感性弱很多,热焰中具有正特征值的CEM首次出现在最高温度处;在熄火极限附近,CEM的特征值变为虚数,说明熄火伴随着振荡;热焰的熄火主要由小分子所参与的高温反应所控制,而冷焰熄火主要由大分子所参与的低温反应所控制。     

Chemical exposures from upholstered furniture with various flame retardant technologies

Upholstered furniture is often manufactured with polyurethane foam (PUF) containing flame retardants (FRs) to prevent the risk of a fire and/or to meet flammability regulations, however, exposure to certain FRs and other chemicals have been linked to adverse health effects. This study developed a new methodology for evaluating volatile organic compound (VOC) and FR exposures to users of upholstered furniture by simulating use of a chair in a controlled exposure chamber and assessing the health significance of measured chemical exposure. Chairs with different fire-resistant technologies were evaluated for VOC and FR exposures via inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact exposure routes. Data show that VOC exposure levels are lower than threshold levels defined by the US and global indoor air criteria. Brominated FRs were not detected from the studied chairs. The organophosphate FRs added to PUF were released into the surrounding air (0.4 ng/m³) and as dust (16 ng/m²). Exposure modeling showed that adults are exposed to FRs released from upholstered furniture mostly by dermal contact and children are exposed via dermal and ingestion exposure. Children are most susceptible to FR exposure/dose (2 times higher average daily dose than adults) due to their frequent hand to mouth contact.     

Different chemical effect of hydrogen addition on soot formation in laminar coflow methane and ethylene diffusion flames

Previous studies showed that adding hydrogen (H₂) can have an opposite chemical effect on soot formation: its chemical effect enhances and suppresses soot formation in methane (CH₄) and ethylene (C₂H₄) diffusion flames, respectively. Such opposite chemical effect of H₂ (CE-H₂) remains unresolved. The different CE-H₂ is studied numerically in the two laminar coflow diffusion flames. A detailed chemical mechanism with the addition of a chemically inert virtual species FH₂ is used to model the gas-phase combustion chemistry in this study. Particularly, a reaction pathway analysis was performed based on the numerical results to gain insights into how H₂ addition to fuel affects the pathways leading to the formation of benzene (A₁) in CH₄ and C₂H₄ flames. The numerical results show that the CE-H₂ in CH₄ diffusion flame to prompt soot formation is ascribed that the higher mole fraction of H atom promotes the formation of A₁ and Acetylene (C₂H₂) and leads to higher nucleation rate and eventually higher soot surface growth rate. In contrast, adding H₂ to C₂H₄ diffusion flames decreases soot nucleation and surface growth rate. The lower soot nucleation rate is due to the lower mole fractions of pyrene (A₄), while the lower soot surface growth rate is due to the lower mole fractions of H atom and C₂H₂, higher mole fraction of H₂ and lower soot nucleation rate. Furthermore, the CE-H₂ in C₂H₄ diffusion flames promotes the formation of A₁, but suppresses the formation of A₄.     

Structure of turbulent rich hydrogen‐air premixed flames

In the present article, series of experiments were conducted to study the structure characteristics of premixed flames in turbulent rich hydrogen‐air mixtures within a constant‐volume turbulent combustion system, 7 equivalence ratios (1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, and 2.5), and 5 turbulent intensity (0, 0.494, 0.742, 1.080, and 1.309 m/s) were studied. With the increase of turbulent intensity, the cellularity degree was obviously enhanced for turbulence promoted the formation and the development of initial cracks by wrinkling flame‐front; furthermore, the enhanced hydrodynamic instability was also one important reason. Turbulence would change the linear growth of critical radius to equivalence ratio into nonlinear, but the variation extents had limitation. The wrinkling index of flame‐front would rise as flame expanded, and the wrinkling index on flames with similar size would be increased with the increase of turbulence once the turbulent intensity was sufficiently high. From the variations of the root mean square of related oscillation on flame‐front, it could be found that the partial amount of oscillation induced by sole turbulence was declined as flame expanded for the breakup of large eddies.     

制备工艺对聚氨酯酰亚胺泡沫性能的影响

以均苯四甲酸二酐(PMDA)、多苯基多亚甲基多异氰酸酯(PAPI)、聚醚多元醇为主要原料,分别采用聚酰亚胺(PI)预聚法、聚氨酯(PU)预聚法和一步法制备聚氨酯酰亚胺泡沫,从微观形貌、力学性能、热稳定性能以及阻燃性能方面对上述3种制备工艺进行对比和评估。实验结果表明,采用一步法制备PUI泡沫时,PU链段和PI链段同时增长,容易造成泡孔缺陷,导致泡沫的力学性能较差;在采用PU预聚法制备的PUI泡沫中,PU链段含量较高,因此,泡孔孔径分布较宽且平均泡孔直径较大,对应的热稳定性和阻燃性能较差;采用PI预聚法制备的PUI泡沫的泡孔孔径分布窄且平均泡孔直径较小,对应的压缩性能、热稳定性以及阻燃性能均达到最佳。