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Preventing the explosion of acetylene cylinders involved in fire with help of numerical modeling
(2012)
The current paper describes a mathematical model, which was developed to simulate the heat transfer in acetylene cylinders during exposure to a fire. The cases of a direct engulfment of the cylinder in the flames and of exposure to a distant fire were considered. Furthermore, the model was also applied to the prediction of the heat transfer during the cooling with water of heated acetylene cylinders, in order to assess the effectiveness of this procedure as a measure to prevent the burst of the cylinder. To provide data for the definition and validation of the model a total of 13 bonfire tests with 8.9-, 10- and 50-dm³-cylinders were performed, where pressure and temperature measurements in the samples were performed. During 5 experiments the fire was extinguished before the expected cylinder burst and a cooling with water was applied. In the paper a short description of the experimental set-up and of the test results is given. Finally, a comparison with the model predictions is provided, showing reasonable agreement.
Acetylenflaschen im Feuer
(2012)
Acetylen ist eines der wichtigsten technischen Gase und findet insbesondere Anwendung beim Schweißen und Schneiden verschiedener Werkstoffe. Damit Acetylen in entsprechenden Mengen vor Ort zur Verfügung gestellt werden kann, wird es in Druckgasbehälter abgefüllt. Im Falle eines Brandes stehen Acetylenflaschen im Verdacht, jederzeit – auch nach Löschen des Feuers – aufgrund einer möglicherweise initiierten Zerfallsreaktion zu bersten. Um insbesondere Personenschäden zu vermeiden, evakuieren und sperren die Rettungskräfte einen Sicherheitsbereich mit einem Radius von mindestens 200 m um die verdächtige Flasche ab. Gleichzeitig wird umgehend mit der Kühlung der Flasche begonnen. Wie lange muss aber eine Acetylenflasche gekühlt werden, bis sie sicher abtransportiert werden kann, und wie lange muss der Sicherheitsbereich mit dem großen Radius aufrecht erhalten werden? Diesen Fragen ist die BAM in den vergangenen Jahren im Rahmen verschiedener Untersuchungen und Projekte nachgegangen.
In this paper two different approaches for predicting the heating-up of an acetylene cylinder involved in a fire and the afterward cooling with water are presented. In the simulations polynomial functions were used to describe the temperature dependency of the thermal properties of the cylinder interior, which is a complex system composed by a solid porous material, a solvent (typically acetone) and acetylene dissolved in it. Model equations covered heat conduction in the cylinder interior and at its walls. In the first approach the cylinder surroundings were simulated as a further domain constituted by CO2, during the fire exposure, and for water, during the cooling. In this domain the coupled heat transfer (convection and conduction) and the momentum equation (Navier-Stokes) were solved. In the second approach no further domain was considered but boundary conditions were set directly on the cylinder walls. Results of the calculations performed with both approaches are presented. This work could prove helpful in predicting to which extent the interior of an acetylene cylinder exposed to fire reaches temperatures capable of initiating the decomposition of acetylene and to determine how long a water cooling should be applied, so that the system is brought again under non-critical conditions.
Es wurden Druckentlastungsvorgänge in einem 5 m³ Autoklav mit einem L/D-Verhältnis von 1,14 nach der Zündung von Methan-Luft-Gemischen untersucht. Schwerpunkt der Arbeit war die Bestimmung der Explosionsdrücke, der zeitlichen Druckanstiege bzw. der KG-Werte und der reduzierten Explosionsdrücke in Abhängigkeit der Methankonzentration. Im geschlossenen Behälter wurden die Explosionsdrücke und zeitlichen Druckanstiege für Methan-Luft-Gemische mit Methankonzentrationen von 5,9 Vol-% bis 13,5 Vol-% ermittelt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen gute Übereinstimmung mit den Literaturwerten. Weiter wurden Druckentlastungsversuche mit einer kreisrunden Entlastungsfläche von 0,011 m² und einer Druckentlastungsfolie mit einem statischen Ansprechdruck von 1,94 bar durchgeführt. Hierbei wurden Gemische mit Methankonzentrationen von 5,9 Vol-% bis 14,3 Vol-% untersucht. Dabei zeigte sich, dass die vergleichsweise kleine Entlastungsfläche nur dann zu reduzierten Explosionsdrücken gleich dem statischen Ansprechdruck der Berstfolie führte, wenn die Methankonzentration ≤ 5,9 Vol-% oder ≥ 14,0 Vol-% betrug. Bei allen anderen untersuchten Methankonzentrationen führten die durch die Druckentlastung induzierten Turbulenzen zu einer Beschleunigung der Verbrennungsreaktion und zu Explosionsdrücken vergleichbar denen im geschlossenen Behälter.
Fire exposure tests of acetylene cylinders were performed. The purpose of the experiments was to gather information on the behavior in fire of such vessels, depending on the initial charge of acetylene. In fact "empty" acetylene cylinders still contain the solvent in which acetylene is dissolved plus the amount of acetylene to saturation at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature and may still constitute a threat to safety. In the fire exposure tests performed the hazardousness of these vessels was demonstrated, since it was observed that not only fully charged acetylene cylinders but also cylinders with saturated solvent can explode, provided the heat transfer to the vessel is sufficient. The times to explosion were shorter for fully charged cylinders, due to the higher initial pressure and to the faster pressure increase. The effects of the explosions are comparable for both fully charged cylinders and for cylinders with saturated solvent, except for the smaller fireball which is produced in the second case, due to the smaller amount of fuel available. In both cases the cylinder walls or at least fragments can fly further than 100 m away from the burst location. Results of the experiments are presented in the paper. During the tests, temperature measurements at the cylinder walls and in the cylinder interior were performed. Furthermore, the pressure in the cylinder was recorded. The collected data will serve for the validation of a numerical model for the simulation of the heating of acetylene cylinders involved in fire and of the afterward cooling with water, which has been developed. The constitutive model equations and the results of some simulations are presented in the paper.