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The hybrid mixture of combustible dusts and flammable gases/vapours widely exist in various industries, including mining, petrochemical, metallurgical, textile and pharmaceutical. It may pose a higher explosion risk than gas/vapor or dust/mist explosions since the hybrid explosions can still be initiated even though both the gas and the dust concentration are lower than their lower explosion limit (LEL) values. Understanding the explosion threat of hybrid mixtures not only contributes to the inherent safety and sustainability of industrial process design, but promotes the efficiency of loss prevention and mitigation. To date, however, there is no test standard with reliable explosion criteria available to determine the safety parameters of all types of hybrid mixture explosions, nor the flame propagation and quenching mechanism or theoretical explanation behind these parameters. This review presents a state-of-the-art overview of the comprehensive understanding of hybrid mixture explosions mainly in an experimental study level; thereby, the main limitations and challenges to be faced are explored. The discussed main contents include the experimental measurement for the safety parameters of hybrid mixtures (i.e., explosion sensitivity and severity parameters) via typical test apparatuses, explosion regime and criterion of hybrid mixtures, the detailed flame propagation/quenching characteristics behind the explosion severities/sensitivities of hybrid mixtures. This work aims to summarize the essential basics of experimental studies, and to provide the perspectives based on the current research gaps to understand the explosion hazards of hybrid mixtures in-depth.
Minimum ignition temperature of dust clouds (MITC) was studied experimentally and theoretically in different atmospheres. Three carbonaceous dusts were tested in both air and O2/CO2 atmospheres with CH4 mole fraction from 0 to 2%. Results showed that the ignition risk of the three dusts significantly increases (decrease of MITC by ~100 ℃) with increasing XO2 from 21% to 50%, but significantly decreases replacing N2 in air with CO2. The inhibition effect of CO2 on MITCs could be diminished by increasing XO2 or adding CH4. The addition of small amount of CH4 has different effects on the MITCs of different dust samples, following the opposite order of volatile matter content: anthracite>bituminous coal>starch. Two modified steady-state ignition models, considering the density of mixture gas and dust cloud, XO2 and its diffusivity, were developed to interpret the experimental observations. The analysis revealed that the global heterogeneous ignition model suits well for the hybrid mixtures of anthracite or bituminous coal dusts. In contrast, the proposed global homogeneous ignition model was found to be only valid for the pure starch dust, and the extra CH4 addition could strongly affect the ignition process of starch, particularly in O2/CO2 atmospheres with higher XO2.
Godbert-Greenwald furnace was used to investigate the minimum ignition temperature of dust clouds (MITC) in air with the presence of flammable gas which is lower than its lower explosion limit (LEL). Three flammable gases (CH4, H2 and CO) and three carbonaceous dusts (anthracite coal, bituminous coal and sweet potato starch) were tested. Results showed that all flammable gases have distinct effects on the MITC of the dust samples and volatile matter content of dust plays an important role during the ignition process. Specifically, the MITC of anthracite coal dust decreased from 610 °C to 560 °C, 580 °C and 570 °C with 3% CH4, 3% CO and 2.5% H2, respectively. Moreover, a heterogeneous ignition mechanism model was proposed to verify the equally global ignition characteristic between hybrid anthracite coal-CxHy mixture and bituminous coal. All three gases had an ignorable effect on the MITC of starch dust considering the experimental error. The presence of CO and H2 slightly promoted the ignition of bituminous coal dust, but the addition of CH4 showed a distinct concentration effect on the MITC of bituminous coal: the MITC decreased with 1% CH4 while increased with 2% and 3% CH4.
This negative-effect of flammable gases at such low concentrations on ignition temperature of bituminous coal dusts was found for the first time. Furthermore, the presence of the 2nd flammable gas had a smaller effect on the MITC of dust samples with a higher volatile content, resulted from the competition of heterogeneous and homogeneous ignition mechanisms.
To reveal and improve our understanding of the ignition behavior and mechanism, G-G furnace experiments of three typical organic dusts were performed to investigate the minimum ignition temperature (MIT) in O2/N2, O2/ Ar and O2/CO2 atmospheres with oxygen mole fraction from 8.4% to 50%. The experimental results were presented in oxygen-lean and oxy-fuel atmospheres to evaluate the ignition sensitivity of dusts in different atmospheres. It was found that CO2 is the strongest in terms of lowing the ignition sensitivity of the three dusts, and the dust explosion risk increases significantly with increasing O2 mole fraction for the three dusts through a logarithmically and significantly reducing MIT. However, for different dusts, inert gases show different suppression effects. In addition, a modified steady-state homogeneous ignition model was proposed and successfully applied to oxygen-lean atmospheres, and in oxy-fuel atmospheres, this model has also been improved to estimate the ignition mechanism. This ignition mechanism model could be used to successfully predict the minimum ignition temperature of high volatile dust under different inert atmospheres controlled by homogeneous ignition, which will provide a reference for the ignition hazard assessment of dust on hot surfaces.
Several standardized ignition sources are used to determine the safety characteristics of gases, vapours and dusts. Standards indicate the source of ignition but vary in specifying other features such as the burning duration, energy or the volume in which the energy is released. Since heat is not visible under normal conditions, a schlieren technique was used to visualize the entire igniting volume and not just the flames. This article focuses on the igniting volume, compares it among the four standardized ignition sources and displays its relationship to the size of the test vessel. Differences in the ignition behaviour of the ignition sources might lead to the determination of erroneous safety characteristics and with that to the unsafe operation of processes.
For the determination of safety characteristics of gases, vapors and dusts different types of ignition sources are used in international standards and guidelines. The paper presents test results of a comparative calorimetric and visual study between four different types of ignition sources. The ignition procedures were analyzed visually with a high-speed camera and electric recordings. In addition to that, the influence of the electrode-orientation, -distance as well as ignition energy on the reproducibility of the exploding wire igniter was tested.
The exploding wire is already in use for standardized determination of safety characteristics of gases, first tests on the suitability of the exploding wire igniter for dust testing have been carried out but are not standardized yet. Using the exploding wire, the ignition energy can be varied from 2 J to 10 000 J (2 x 5000 J) and thus it could be used for gases, vapors, dusts and hybrid mixtures. Moreover it can be used at high initial pressures and it is the only ignition source with an easily measurable ignition energy release. Furthermore, it does not introduce another chemical reaction into the system.
Finally, a proposal for a standard ignition source for explosion tests on hybrid mixtures is derived from the test results.
For the determination of safety characteristics of gases, vapors and dusts different types of ignition sources are used in international standards and guidelines. Table 1 compares technical relevant ignition sources with their main features. The paper presents test results of a comparative calorimetric and visual study between four different types of ignition sources. The ignition procedures were analyzed visually with a high-speed camera and electric recordings. In addition to that, the influence of the electrode-orientation, -distance as well as ignition energy on the reproducibility of the exploding wire igniter was tested.
The exploding wire is already in use for standardized determination of safety characteristics of gases, first tests on the suitability of the exploding wire igniter for dust testing have been carried out by Scheid et al. Using the exploding wire, the ignition energy can be varied from 2 to 10 000 J (2 x 5 000 J) and thus it could be used for gases, vapors, dusts and hybrid mixtures. Moreover it can be used at high initial pressures and it is the only ignition source with an easily measurable ignition energy release. Furthermore, it does not introduce another chemical reaction into the system.
Finally, a proposal for a standard ignition source for explosion tests on hybrid mixtures is derived from the test results.
While developing a standard for the determination of safety characteristics for hybrid mixtures the authors discovered, that, beside the ignition source, the mixing procedure is the main difference between the single-phase standards for dusts and gases. The preparation of hybrid mixtures containing a flammable gas and a flammable dust in the 20 L-sphere can be realized in different ways. Either the flammable gas is filled only in the sphere or only in the dust container or in both. In previous works, almost always the first method is applied, without giving any information on the accuracy of the gas mixtures. In this work the accuracy of the gas mixtures and the results of the tests applying two methods of mixing were studied. No significant influence of the mixing method itself on the safety characteristics explosion pressure pex and the normalized rate of pressure rise (K-value) was found. Obviously, homogenization of the gas mixtures can be obtained sufficiently by the turbulence that is caused during the injection from the dust container into the explosion chamber within a short time. However, the mixing procedure has a great influence on the accuracy of the gas amount of the mixtures obtained. Without modifying the 20 L-sphere by installing precise pressure sensors, assuring its tightness and performing gas analysis, it must be expected, that the accuracy of the gas mixtures is very low. This has a significant influence on the measured safety characteristics and may lead to unsafe facilities or unnecessary expensive safety measures.
Influence of pre-ignition pressure rise on safety characteristics of dusts and hybrid mixtures
(2021)
For the determination of the safety characteristics of dusts it is necessary to disperse the dust in the oxidating atmosphere (usually air). In the standard procedures for dusts this is realized by a partially evacuated explosion vessel (20L-sphere) in which the dust gets injected from a dust chamber pressurized with air. Shortly after that injection (60 ms) the dust cloud gets ignited under turbulent conditions, that are otherwise seen as almost ambient with 20 ◦C and about 1 bar (abs). While there has been a lot of research about the influence of the ignition delay time and the level of turbulence in the recent years little attention was paid to the pre–ignition pressure rise and the allowed variations in the standards. In the following work we showed that the allowed ranges for the pressures in the different dust standards influence the safety characteristics of dust alone severely.
Even though hybrid mixtures are an emerging risk problem in an interconnected industry there is no standard for the determination of their safety characteristics. In this work it is shown that especially for the preparation of hybrid mixtures of flammable dust and gas the pressures after injection of the dust and the mixing procedure have a large influence on the composition of the tested mixtures and therefore on the safety characteristics.
Considering both effects, wrong concentration of gas and wrong initial pressure, the discrepancy of safety characteristics from different facilities will be too big to applicable. The methods to overcome these weaknesses are also presented.
There is no applicable existing standard for the determination of safety characteristics for hybrid mixtures. While developing a new standard in a joint research project in Germany first results from parameter studies led to a standard procedure that can be adopted by laboratories that are already testing dusts in the so called 20L-sphere with as little additional effort as necessary. In fact, one of the main objectives of this research project was to keep modifications and adjustments from the generally accepted dust testing procedures as easy and minimal as possible so as to limit potential deviations from one laboratory to another.
In this first round robin test on hybrid mixtures ever, with methane as gas component and a specific corn starch as dust sample, the practicality of the whole procedure, the scattering of the results and the deviation between the testing apparatuses is investigated. This paper summarizes the experimental procedure adopted and objectives of the first round-robin phase involving three of the four original German companies, plus volunteering laboratories from Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Poland and P.R. China. The results will have an impact on the new standard and may lead to robust data for later simulation purposes.