Flame inhibition by aqueous solution of Alkali salts in methane and LPG laminar diffusion flames

Badhuk, P and Ravikrishna, RV (2022) Flame inhibition by aqueous solution of Alkali salts in methane and LPG laminar diffusion flames. In: Fire Safety Journal, 130 .

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Abstract

Finely atomized water mist (diameter <100 μm) is a promising fire suppressant showing high effectiveness and no toxicity. The effectiveness can be improved further by mixing a small concentration of alkali compounds with pure water. The present work investigates the effectiveness of alkali compounds in counterflow diffusion flames of methane and LPG (38% propane, 62% n-butane by mass). In methane flames the inhibitors ranked by suppression effectiveness follows: KHCO3 ≈ CH3COOK > K2CO3 > K2C2O4.H2O ≈ Na2CO3 > NaHCO3 > CH3COONa > NaC3H5O3 > NaBr > C4H5NaO6.H2O. The effectiveness of the inhibitors increases linearly with solution concentration. Only the potassium salts were tested in LPG flames, and the ranking obtained is CH3COOK > KHCO3 ≈ K2CO3 > K2C2O4.H2O. The numerical models qualitatively capture the experimental trends; however, they underpredict the suppression effectiveness. Detailed sensitivity analysis and reaction pathway diagram analysis suggest that the rate constants of the recombination reactions, species entropy, and L-J collision diameters need careful consideration for improving the model predictions.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Fire Safety Journal
Publisher:	Elsevier Ltd
Additional Information:	The copyright for this article belongs to the Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords:	Bromine compounds; Liquefied petroleum gas; Potash; Rate constants; Sensitivity analysis; Sodium bicarbonate; Sodium Carbonate, Alkali compound; Alkali salts; Counterflow flames; Fire suppressants; Flame inhibitions; Laminar diffusion flames; Mixing (a); Small concentration; Suppression effectiveness; Water mist, Methane
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Mechanical Engineering
Date Deposited:	05 Jun 2022 06:16
Last Modified:	05 Jun 2022 06:16
URI:	https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/73110

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