Modeling flame propagation speed and quenching distance of aluminum dust flame with spatially random distribution of particles

Abstract

In this research combustion of aluminum dust particles in a quiescent medium with spatially discrete sources distributed in a random way was studied by a numerical approach. A new thermal model was generated to estimate flame propagation speed in a lean/rich reaction medium. Flame speed for different particle diameters and the effects of various oxidizers such as carbon dioxide and oxygen on flame speed were studied. Nitrogen was considered the inert gas. In addition, the quenching distance and the minimum ignition energy (MIE) were studied as a function of dust concentration. Different burning time models for aluminum were employed and their results were compared with each other. The model was based on conduction heat transfer mechanism using the heat point source method. The combustion of single-particle was first studied and the solution was presented. Then the dust combustion was investigated using the superposition principle to include the effects of surrounding particles. It is found that larger particles have higher values of quenching distance in comparison with smaller particles in an assumed dust concentration. With the increase of dust concentration the value of MIE would be decreased for an assumed particle diameter. Considering random discrete heat sources method, the obtained results of random distribution of fuel particles in space provide closer and realistic predictions of the combustion physics of aluminum dust flame as compared with the experimental findings.

Keywords

flame propagation speed / random particle distribution / quenching distance / random discrete combustion / aluminum

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