Research in gaseous explosion physics and prevention

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The proposed research program will be carried out in the field of industrial explosion safety. Explosions in the chemical process industry are common, costing the industry millions of dollars every year for plant repair, lost revenue and litigation. Even more important is the loss of life that occurs all too often with large industrial explosions. An example of a gas-phase explosion that was thoroughly covered by the media occurred this past August at the Sunrise Propane depot in Toronto. The objective of this work is to obtain a thorough understanding of explosion physics so that such explosions can be prevented. Ultra high-speed digital video cameras with megapixel resolution permit the visualization of an explosion front propagating up to a speed of 2,000 metres per second. Experiments will be performed in a square cross-section channel equipped with glass sidewalls in order to visualize the propagation of the explosion front that is ignited at one end of the channel. The explosion front initially consists of a flame, but as it accelerates to speeds in excess of the speed of sound of the explosive mixture a shock wave forms ahead of the flame. It is the large pressure increase associated with the shock wave that causes the structural damage. A special technique, known as schlieren photography, will be used to capture the evolution of the explosion front as it propagates the length of the channel. Students involved in the project will learn how to set up the photographic system and analyze the data obtained from the experiment. The numerical modeling of high speed explosion propagation remains a major challenge due to the large disparity in the spatial and temporal scales of the various fluid dynamic and combustion phenomena involved. However, as a result of recent major advancements in computing power, simulations of this complex phenomenon are now within reach. In parallel with the experiments, computational fluid dynamics modeling will be carried using the High Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory at Queen's University to simulate the explosion process. The experimental visualization data will be used to validate the numerical predictions. This program will provide training to two doctoral and two Masters students.