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Analysis of Thermal Radiation Emitted from Partially Premixed Methane–Air Jet Flames

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Abstract

According to accident databases, severe accidents, usually leading to catastrophic events, have originated from 50% of registered jet fires. This “domino effect” is usually caused by the high heat fluxes emitted from jet flames, and the flame impingement. This study analyses the thermal radiation emitted from partially premixed methane–air jet flames, obtained with volumetric fuel flows of 7 L/min, 8 L/min, and 9 L/min. The main geometrical features of the flames (lift-off distance, radiant flame length, and flame area) were obtained by analysing over 500 images, then used to calculate the parameters involved in the solid flame radiation model to determine the heat flux emitted. The view factor was calculated for finite areas, while emissivity was obtained by correlating the average flame diameter of each flame with a soot particle constant. The results obtained from the experiments clearly identify three general regions for the flame temperature and heat flux profiles, as a function of the flame’s axial position. The maximum flame temperature and heat flux are reached in the second region, at approximately 73% of the flame’s axial position. The geometric considerations used throughout the present work allowed for more accurate thermal radiation values in regard to other known techniques.

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Abbreviations

A :

Body A, relation between variables or area (m2)

A 1 :

Jet flame area (m2)

A 2 :

Target or receiving area (m2)

B :

Relation between variables

d :

Nozzle diameter (mm)

D :

Flame diameter (m)

E″:

Surface emissive power (kW/m2)

F :

View factor

G :

Analytical integration function

h :

Height (m)

H :

Radiant flame length (m)

H f :

Total flame length (m)

H r :

Relative humidity (%)

k :

Number of rectangles

K :

Effective emission/absorption coefficient (m−1)

L :

Mean equivalent beam length of the flame (m)

L f :

Lift-off (m)

m :

Mass flow rate (kg/s)

n :

Area factor

q air :

Volumetric air flow rate (L/min)

q f :

Volumetric fuel flow rate (L/min)

q″:

Radiant heat flux (kW/m2)

r :

Radius (m)

R 2 :

Coefficient of determination

s :

Standard deviation

T :

Temperature (K)

v :

Height at different position along the flame (m)

v/H f :

Axial position of the flame

x :

Position in the coordinate axis (see Figure 1c) (m)

y :

Position in the coordinate axis (see Figure 1c) or distance (see Figures 6, 8, and 9) (m)

z :

Distance between the flame and the target (m)

ε :

Flame emissivity

η :

Position in the coordinate axis (see Figure 1c) (m)

\(\theta\) :

Angle between the flame and the target (°)

\(\xi\) :

Position in the coordinate axis (see Figure 1c) (m)

σ :

Stefan–Boltzmann constant (5.67 × 10−8 W/m2 K4)

\(\tau\) :

Atmospheric transmissivity

0:

Ambient

1:

Initial state

2:

Final state

f :

Flame

i,j,k,l :

Any number (1,2,…) within the range of integration, see Equation (3)

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Acknowledgements

Authors want to thank Dr. Mário Costa (deceased) for providing the experimental data for validation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical, Food and Environmental Engineering, Fundacion Universidad de las Americas Puebla, 72810, Puebla, Mexico

    A. Palacios, M. J. Alvarez-Guapillo & D. Cortés-Sigüenza

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, 72410, Puebla, Mexico

    L. Zarate-López

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  1. A. Palacios
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  3. M. J. Alvarez-Guapillo
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  4. D. Cortés-Sigüenza
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Correspondence to A. Palacios or L. Zarate-López.

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Palacios, A., Zarate-López, L., Alvarez-Guapillo, M.J. et al. Analysis of Thermal Radiation Emitted from Partially Premixed Methane–Air Jet Flames. Fire Technol 59, 1805–1832 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-023-01407-6

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