Ignition and heat radiation of cryogenic hydrogen jets

In the present work release and ignition experiments with horizontal cryogenic hydrogen jets at temperatures of 35–65 K and pressures from 0.7 to 3.5 MPa were performed in the ICESAFE facility at KIT. This facility is specially designed for experiments under steady-state sonic release conditions with constant temperature and pressure in the hydrogen reservoir. In distribution experiments the temperature, velocity, turbulence and concentration distribution of hydrogen with different circular nozzle diameters and reservoir conditions was investigated for releases into stagnant ambient air. Subsequent combustion experiments of hydrogen jets included investigations on the stability of the flame and its propagation behaviour as function of the ignition position. Furthermore combustion pressures and heat radiation from the sonic jet flame during the combustion process were measured. Safety distances were evaluated and an extrapolation model to other jet conditions was proposed. The results of this work provide novel data on cryogenic sonic hydrogen jets and give information on the hazard potential arising from leaks in liquid hydrogen reservoirs.     

The flame propagation characteristics and detonation parameters of ammonia/oxygen in a large-scale horizontal tube: As a carbon-free fuel and hydrogen-energy carrier

As a carbon-free fuel and a hydrogen-energy carrier, ammonia is a potential candidate for future energy utilization. Therefore, in order to promote the application of ammonia in detonation engines and to evaluate the safety of ammonia related industrial process, DDT experiments for ammonia/oxygen mixtures with different ERs were carried out in a large-scale horizontal tube. Moreover, pressure transducers and self-developed temperature sensors were applied to record the overpressure and the instantaneous flame temperature during DDT process. The results show that the DDT process in ammonia/oxygen mixtures contains four stages: Slow propagation stage, Flame and pressure wave acceleration stage, Fast propagation and detonation wave formation stage, Detonation wave self-sustained propagation stage. For stoichiometric ammonia/oxygen mixtures, flame front and the leading shock wave propagate one after another with different velocity, until they closely coupled and propagated together with one steady velocity. At the same time, it is found that an interesting retonation wave propagates backward. The peak overpressure, detonation velocity, and flame temperature of the self-sustained detonation are 2 MPa, 2000 m/s and 3500 K, respectively. With the ER increased from 0.6 to 1.6, the detonation velocities and peak overpressures ranged from 2310 m/s to 2480 m/s and 25.6 bar–28.7 bar, respectively. In addition, the detonation parameters of ammonia were compared with those of methane and hydrogen to evaluate the detonation performance and destructiveness of ammonia.     

Numerical study of hydrogen–oxygen flame acceleration and deflagration to detonation transition in combustion light gas gun

A large eddy model with detailed chemical reaction mechanism is developed to investigate the interior ballistic process of the combustion light gas gun (CLGG). Flame acceleration and deflagration to detonation transition process with high initial pressure and low initial temperature hydrogen–oxygen mixture in CLGG is numerically studied. Simulation results indicate that the hydrogen–oxygen flame propagation experiences an exponential acceleration stage, a nearly uniform propagation stage and a fast reacceleration stage. Detonation can be triggered through two different mechanisms, which are the amplification between the overlapped shock wave at flame surface, and the elevated flame velocity and shock strength caused by local explosions. Reflected shock waves play an important role in the suppression of the flame propagation when the flame front is close to the chamber throat, leading to a deceleration of the deflagration flame.     

Minimum ignition energy of hydrogen-air mixtures at ambient and cryogenic temperatures

The ignition and combustion of hydrogen in air is considered more hazardous compared to other fuels due to the lower minimum ignition energy (MIE) and the wider flammability range. Spark discharge is the most common type of electrostatic ignition hazard. There is a need in validated safety engineering tools to accurately calculate MIE in a wide range of temperatures from atmospheric to cryogenic which are characteristic for hydrogen systems and infrastructure. Current MIE assessment methodologies rely on the availability of experimental data on quenching distance and/or laminar burning velocity and thus are mostly empirical correlations. This prevents their application beyond the limited number of experimental data, i.e. to arbitrary composition of the hydrogen-air mixture at arbitrary temperatures including cryogenic. This work aims at the development of a model able to accurately predict MIE for hydrogen-air mixtures with arbitrary initial composition and temperature. Cantera and Chemkin software are used to calculate the properties and unstretched laminar burning velocity of hydrogen-air mixtures. The flame thickness is found to well represent the critical flame kernel in the suggested model. The model is validated against experimental data on MIE for mixtures at ambient and cryogenic (down to 123 K) temperatures. Results show that the effect of flame stretch and preferential diffusion shall be considered to accurately predict MIE for lean hydrogen-air mixtures, which was not possible for previous models.     

掺氢对微尺度空间内预混层流火焰转捩爆燃特性的影响

针对基于燃烧的微小型动力装置存在燃烧效率低、火焰传播速度慢的问题,设计了一个可视化的、特征间距仅为0.45 mm的微尺度定容燃烧室,实验比较了0～1的掺氢比例下,丙烷/氢气/空气预混火焰在该燃烧室内的传播以及加速过程.实验发现没有掺氢时,丙烷/空气预混火焰需要在0.25 MPa初始压力下才能够传播;当掺氢比例为0.2时...     

Effect of orifice plate on the transmission mechanism of a detonation wave in hydrogen-oxygen mixtures

In this paper, a square orifice plate with 60 mm thick and the blockage ratio (BR) of 0.889 is employed to systematically explore the transmission regime of a steady detonation wave in hydrogen-oxygen mixtures. The influence of hydrogen mole fraction is also considered. The average velocity of combustion wave can be determined by evenly mounting eight high-speed pressure sensors on the tube wall, and the detonation cellular patterns can be also registered by the soot foil technique. The experimental results indicate that for the condition of smooth tube, the hydrogen concentration limits range of detonation successful propagation is 37.5%–73.68%. Two propagation modes can be obtained, i.e., the regimes of fast flame and steady detonation. The hydrogen concentration limits range is narrowed to 42.53%–69.51% in the tube with a square orifice plate. Three propagation regimes are observed: (1) near the low limit, a steady detonation wave can be produced before the obstacle, and the phenomenon of detonation decay is seen across the square orifice plate because of the influence of diffraction resulting in the mechanism of detonation failure. The failed detonation wave is not re-ignited because of the lower hydrogen concentration; (2) as the hydrogen mole fraction is increased to 42.53%, the mechanism of detonation re-ignition can be seen after the detonation decay. Well within the limits, the same detonation re-initiation phenomenon also can be observed; (3) as the hydrogen concentration is further enhanced to 69.7% beyond the upper limit, a stable detonation wave is not produced prior to the orifice plate, and the combustion wave front maintain the mode of fast flame until the end of the channel. Finally, it can be found that the detonation wave can successfully survive from the diffraction only when the effective diameter (d_eff) is at least greater than one cell size (λ).     

Mitigation of H2/air gaseous detonation via utilization of PAN-based carbon fibre felt

This paper first studied the mitigation of the hydrogen/air mixture detonation wave by tuning the tube inner wall with the absorbing material of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fibre felt. The experimental tests were performed in a single-trial circular cross-section tube filled with premixed hydrogen and air detonative mixture. The pressure values and flame front propagation were measured by means of pressure transducers and photodiodes respectively. The attenuation regimes of detonation wave in walled tubes with different thicknesses and layouts of absorption material were compared. The PAN-based carbon fibre felt makes a significant attenuation on the detonation propagation. The decoupling of leading shock wave and flame front can be observed under the effect of this absorbing layer. The ultimate strength close to the tube end and propagation velocity of the combustion wave decrease with the increase of felt thickness. When the interval layout felt is adopted, the spacing distance has almost no impact on the attenuation effectiveness. When the sectional layout is adopted, the effectiveness of detonation mitigation is however improved for a higher proportion of the absorbing material.     

Combustion of nanoaluminum at elevated pressure and temperature behind reflected shock waves

This study presents experimental measurements on the combustion of nanoaluminum particles behind reflected shock waves in a shock tube. These experiments were performed at elevated pressures (4-32 atm) and temperatures (1200-2100 K) in the oxidizers oxygen and carbon dioxide, with nitrogen also present. The light emission from the reacting particles was monitored. For all cases, a brief period of intense light emission was observed soon after exposure to the reflected shock conditions. The time scales of this emission event are quantified by the 10-90% integrated emission intensity method to yield a reaction time for this rapid exothermic process. The duration of the emission is found to be 50-500 μs for the conditions tested here. Reaction times in 50% O₂ and 50% N₂ were shown to decrease significantly with ambient temperature, with Arrhenius-type exponentials fitting reasonably well to the observed experimental data. The reaction times were also dependent on pressure, with the timescales decreasing by 1.6-4 times as the pressure was increased from 8 to 32 atm over the range of temperatures in the experiments. In 50% CO₂ and 50% N₂, the reaction occurs in two sequential stages, with more of the emission at earlier times under higher-temperature conditions. Particle temperatures were also measured. During the bright emission event, the temperature rises above the ambient and then cools to near the ambient as the emission event ends. The peak temperature of the particle varied with ambient temperature, pressure, and oxidizer, with high ambient temperatures (2000 K), high pressures (32 atm), and high oxygen mole fractions (50%) giving the highest particle temperatures (∼3500 K). Conversely, 50% CO₂ atmospheres produced particle temperatures just slightly above the ambient. The spectral output of the light emission was shown to be dominated by broadband emission. At high temperatures and pressures in oxygen, weak emission from the AlO B-X transition was observed.     

Experimental and numerical study of the effect of initial temperature on the combustion characteristics of premixed syngas/air flame

The effects of different initial temperatures (T = 300–500 K) and different hydrogen volume fractions (5%–20%) on the combustion characteristics of premixed syngas/air flames in rectangular tubes were investigated experimentally. A high-speed camera and pressure sensor were used to obtain flame propagation images and overpressure dynamics. The CHEMKIN-PRO model and GRI Mech 3.0 mechanism were used for simulation. The results show that the flame propagation speed increases with the initial temperature before the flame touches the wall, while the opposite is true after the flame touches the wall. The increase in initial temperature leads to the increase in overpressure rise rate in the early flame propagation process, but the peak overpressure is reduced. The laminar burning velocity (LBV) and adiabatic flame temperature (AFT) increase with increasing initial temperature. The increase in initial temperature makes the peaks of H, O, and OH radicals increase.     

Experimental and numerical research on rotating detonation combustor under non-premixed conditions

In order to investigate the formation process and propagation characteristics of detonation wave, developing process of detonation wave from initiation to stable detonation formation under non-premixed conditions has been studied by experiments and numerical simulation. The results show that when mass flow rates of air and hydrogen are 158.957 g/s and 2.728 g/s respectively, stable detonation can be formed in the combustor. Due to the lower inlet pressure, there is an unstable stage in combustor before the stable detonation is formed. Reducing the air pressure will increase the lowest detonation limit of combustor and lead to flame-out and re-initiation in the combustor. The propagation direction of detonation wave may change after re-initiation. Non-premixed intake structure lead to the inconsistency of rotating detonation combustion fluid in the radial direction. Moreover, peak pressure appears near the outer wall, while peak temperature appears near the inner wall.     

The structure and flame propagation regimes in turbulent hydrogen jets

Experiments on flame propagation regimes in a turbulent hydrogen jet with velocity and hydrogen concentration gradients have been performed. Horizontal stationary hydrogen jets released at normal and cryogenic temperatures of 290, 80 and 35 K with different nozzle diameters and mass flow rates have been investigated. Sampling probe method and laser PIV techniques have been used to evaluate the distribution of hydrogen concentration and flow velocity. High-speed photography combined with a Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) system was used for the visual observation of the turbulent flame propagation. In order to investigate different flame propagation regimes the ignition position was changed along the jet axis. It was found that the flame propagates in both directions, up- and downstream of the jet flow if hydrogen concentration is >11%, whereas in case [H₂] < 11%, the flame propagates only downstream. This means that at normal temperature the flame is able to accelerate effectively only if the expansion ratio σ of the H₂-air mixture is higher than a critical value σ* = 3.75 defined for a closed geometry.     

Effect of initial pressure,temperature and equivalence ratios on laminar combustion characteristics of hydrogen enriched natural gas

In this study, the flame propagation characteristics of premixed natural gas–hydrogen–air mixtures were studied in constant volume combustion bomb by using the high-speed schlieren photography system. The flame radius, laminar flame propagation speed and the flame stretch rate were obtained under different initial pressure, temperature, equivalence ratios and hydrogen fractions. Meanwhile, the flame stability and their influencing factors were obtained by analyzing the Markstein length and the flame propagation schlieren photos under various combustion conditions. The results show that the stretched laminar propagation speed increases with the increase of the initial temperature and hydrogen fraction of the mixture, and will decreases with the increase of the initial pressure. Meanwhile, according to the Markstein length and the flame propagation pictures, the flame stability decreases with the increase of the temperature and hydrogen fraction, and the slight flaws occurred at the early stage; at larger flame radius, the flame stability is more sensitive to the variation of the initial temperature and hydrogen fraction than to that of initial pressure and equivalence ratio.     

The mechanism of flame propagation affected by flow/shock wave in a confined combustion chamber equipped with a perforated plate

The whole evolution of flame propagation in a confined combustion chamber was firstly experimentally observed in a newly designed experimental apparatus equipped with a perforated plate. The effect of the flame-flow/acoustic/shock wave interaction on the flame propagation was studied. The experiment was conducted with a stoichiometric hydrogen-air mixture. According to the flame morphology and the flame tip velocity, the whole evolution of flame propagation in the experimental apparatus was classified into the following three stages: laminar flame, jet flame and turbulent flame. In the present work, different flame propagation modes were obtained in different conditions. Depending on the initial pressure, three different flame propagation modes were observed. At an initial pressure of 1 bar, the flame propagation after perforated plate was mainly controlled by the interactions of the flame and combustion-generated flow ahead of the flame front. As initial pressures went up to 3 bar and 5 bar, shock waves were clearly observed ahead of the flame, which played a significant role on the flame propagation. The flame decelerated sharply and even propagated backwards, induced by the flame-shock wave interactions. Depending on the intensity of the shock wave, the backward-propagation velocity was higher at 5 bar with a stronger shock wave. In addition, the pressure oscillation at different initial pressures was discussed.     

Acceleration of laminar hydrogen/oxygen flames in a tube and the possible onset of detonation

The possibility is analysed of a laminar flame accelerating along a cylindrical tube, closed at one end, and inducing a deflagration to detonation transition in a stoichiometric H₂/O₂ mixture. The pressure and temperature ratios at the ensuing shock wave increase, as do laminar burning velocities, while autoignition delay times decrease. Combined with appreciable elongation of the flame, these enhance the strength of the shock. The conditions necessary for delay times of 0.05, 0.1, 1.0 and 5.0 ms, at an unburned mixture critical Reynolds number of 2300, are computed for different tube diameters. Probable consequences of the different delay times and hot spot reactivity gradients, including detonation, are all considered. The probability of a purely laminar propagation leading to a detonation is marginal. Only when the initial temperature is raised to 375 K, do purely laminar detonations become possible in tubes of between about 0.5 and 1.35 mm diameter.     

Effects of hydrogen addition on the premixed laminar-flames of ethanol–air gaseous mixtures: An experimental study

The effects of hydrogen addition on the laminar premixed-flame characteristics of ethanol–air gaseous mixtures were investigated experimentally by using outwardly propagating spherical flames. The experiments were conducted in a constant-volume combustion vessel with a central ignition at an initial temperature of 383 K, a pressure of 0.1 MPa, a hydrogen fraction from 0% to 100%, and an equivalence ratio from 0.6 to 1.6, and the flame images were obtained by a high-speed schlieren camera system. The results show that the unstretched flame propagation speeds and burning velocities increase exponentially with the increase in hydrogen fraction for a constant equivalence ratio. When the hydrogen fraction is equal to or less than 60%, the burned gas Markstein length reduces with the increase of equivalence ratio, indicating a positive correlation between the flame instability and hydrogen fraction, while the opposite effect is observed when the hydrogen fraction is greater than 60%. At an equivalence ratio below 1.4, the Markstein length decreases with increased hydrogen fraction, indicating that the flame instability is exacerbated with hydrogen addition, while the reverse holds in the case of equivalence ratio above 1.4. Finally, an empirical formula is developed to estimate the laminar burning velocity of ethanol–hydrogen–air flames on the basis of present experimental data.     

Ignition of hydrogen jet fires from high pressure storage

Self-ignition behaviour of highly transient jets from hydrogen high pressure tanks were investigated up to 26 MPa. The jet development and related ignition/combustion phenomena were characterized by high speed video techniques and time resolved spectroscopy. Video cross correlation method BOS, brightness subtraction and 1-dimensional image contraction were used for data evaluation. Results gained provided information on ignition region, flame head jet velocity, flame contours, pressure wave propagation, reacting species and temperatures. On burst of the rupture disc, the combustion of the jet starts close to the nozzle at the boundary layer to the surrounding air. Combustion velocity decelerated in correlation to an approximated drag force of constant value which was obtained by analysing the head velocity. The burning at the outer jet layer develops to an explosion converting to a nearly spherical volume at the jet head; the movement of the centroid is nearly unchanged and follows the jet front in parallel. The progress of the nearly spherical explosion could be evaluated by assuming an averaged flame ball radius. An apparent flame velocity could be derived to be about 20 m/s. It seems to increase slightly on the pressure in the tank or the related initial jet momentum. Self-initiation is nearly always achieved especially induced the interaction of shock waves and their reflections from the orifice. The combustion process is composed of shell combustion of the jet cone at the bases with a superimposed explosion of the decelerating jet head volume.     

Effect of heat transfer through the release pipe on simulations of cryogenic hydrogen jet fires and hazard distances

Jet flames originated by cryo-compressed ignited hydrogen releases can cause life-threatening conditions in their surroundings. Validated models are needed to accurately predict thermal hazards from a jet fire. Numerical simulations of cryogenic hydrogen flow in the release pipe are performed to assess the effect of heat transfer through the pipe walls on jet parameters. Notional nozzle exit diameter is calculated based on the simulated real nozzle parameters and used in CFD simulations as a boundary condition to model jet fires. The CFD model was previously validated against experiments with vertical cryogenic hydrogen jet fires with release pressures up to 0.5 MPa (abs), release diameter 1.25 mm and temperatures as low as 50 K. This study validates the CFD model in a wider domain of experimental release conditions - horizontal cryogenic jets at exhaust pipe temperature 80 K, pressure up to 2 MPa ab and release diameters up to 4 mm. Simulation results are compared against such experimentally measured parameters as hydrogen mass flow rate, flame length and radiative heat flux at different locations from the jet fire. The CFD model reproduces experiments with reasonable for engineering applications accuracy. Jet fire hazard distances established using three different criteria - temperature, thermal radiation and thermal dose - are compared and discussed based on CFD simulation results.     

Combustion properties of n-heptane/hydrogen mixtures

The possibility to operate current diesel engines in dual-fuel mode with the addition of hydrogen can be limited by the variation in the combustion properties of the fuel mixture. In the present work, n-heptane was selected as a representative fuel to test the effects of hydrogen addition on the laminar flame speeds and ignition delay times. The spherical bomb technique was used to derive the laminar flame speeds of (n-heptane + hydrogen)/air mixtures (0%, 25%, and 50% hydrogen in the fuel) for an initial temperature of 294 K, pressure of 1 bar, and for equivalence ratios between 0.8 and 1.35. The results showed that average increases of 3% and 10% in the flame speeds were obtained with 25% and 50% hydrogen-enrichment, respectively, while a slight decrease of the Markstein length was obtained. Similar laminar flame speed results were predicted numerically with two kinetic models available in the literature with remarkable accuracy, especially for the Cai and Pitsch model [Cai L, Pitsch H. Combust Flame 2015; 162:1623–37]. The kinetic model was subsequently used to perform additional sensitivity and reaction pathway analyses that showed how the chemistry of n-heptane is not substantially influenced by the presence of hydrogen; while the increase in the flame speed is mainly due to the higher concentrations of radical intermediates. The ignition delay times were measured using the reflected shock tube technique for equivalence ratios equal to 0.832, 1.000, and 1.248, initial nominal pressure of 20 bar, temperatures between 730 K and 1200 K, and for different percentages of hydrogen in the fuel (20%, 50%, and 75%). The Cai and Pitsch model once again did a good job of reproducing the experimental data, indicating how at high temperatures the addition of hydrogen does not significantly affect the ignition delay; and in the NTC region (810 K–920 K) the mixtures composed of (50% n-heptane + 50% hydrogen) and (25% n-heptane + 75% hydrogen) are considerably slower than the reference n-heptane case. This is linked to the concentration of the alkane component and the related low temperature chemistry.     

Rethinking “BLEVE explosion” after liquid hydrogen storage tank rupture in a fire

The underlying physical mechanisms leading to the generation of blast waves after liquid hydrogen (LH2) storage tank rupture in a fire are not yet fully understood. This makes it difficult to develop predictive models and validate them against a very limited number of experiments. This study aims at the development of a CFD model able to predict maximum pressure in the blast wave after the LH2 storage tank rupture in a fire. The performed critical review of previous works and the thorough numerical analysis of BMW experiments (LH2 storage pressure in the range 2.0–11.3 bar abs) allowed us to conclude that the maximum pressure in the blast wave is generated by gaseous phase starting shock enhanced by combustion reaction of hydrogen at the contact surface with heated by the shock air. The boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE) pressure peak follows the gaseous phase blast and is smaller in amplitude. The CFD model validated recently against high-pressure hydrogen storage tank rupture in fire experiments is essentially updated in this study to account for cryogenic conditions of LH2 storage. The simulation results provided insight into the blast wave and combustion dynamics, demonstrating that combustion at the contact surface contributes significantly to the generated blast wave, increasing the overpressure at 3 m from the tank up to 5 times. The developed CFD model can be used as a contemporary tool for hydrogen safety engineering, e.g. for assessment of hazard distances from LH2 storage.