Effects of Abrupt Cross-Section Area Change on theMultiparameter Propagation Characteristics of Premixed Methane–Air Explosion in Pipes

Abstract

This paper explores the effects of an abrupt cross-section area change of gas pipes on the propagation law of explosion. For this, an explosion pipe experimental system was established, and a numerical research was conducted. By experimental and numerical simulation, the evolution of the overpressure, temperature, vorticity, and kinetic energy of shock waves of gas explosion in abrupt pipelines was investigated. This allowed us to obtain expressions for the attenuation coefficient, increase coefficient, and reflection coefficient of gas explosion overpressure. The study indicates that an abrupt increase of the pipeline cross-section area leads to a decrease of shock wave overpressure and vice versa. For a given change of cross-section area, the attenuation coefficient gradually increases as the initial peak overpressure rises, whereas the increase coefficient and reflection coefficient both present a decreasing trend. An abrupt change in the pipe structure can inhibit the propagation of gas explosion flames. The explosive gas is affected by the turbulence effect after passing through the middle large-diameter pipe, and the vorticity curve exhibits a clear peak. In addition, the large eddy motion caused by strong confinement increases the kinetic energy of the gas in pipes. The above research outcomes contribute to further enriching the basic theory of gas explosion for the study of gas explosion propagation in mining laneway.