Characteristics analysis of flame propagation and its coupling effect with other parameters in LPG pipeline

Abstract To study the flame propagating characteristic and its coupling effect with other parameters in the LPG pipeline, a typical pipeline model with two equal‐length branches perpendicular to each other is designed for experiment and simulation. Then, gas explosion scenarios are experimentally tested and numerically simulated, which is followed by the analysis of flame shape changing with time and peak temperature changing with space. Results show that when passing through the bifurcation, flame propagates to vertical branch B in a sharp knife shape affected by the strong vortex, reflected airflow, and compressed pressure wave in the pipeline with a diameter of 0.125 m. At the monitoring point that is 0.4 m away from the bifurcation point, the peak temperature of the vertical branch B is 57.87% bigger than that of the horizontal branch C, and its arrival time is 80% longer than that of the horizontal branch C, due to the existence of flame in vertical branch B. What's more, in both branches, the coupling results between peak temperature and peak velocity agree very well with the growth function, while the coupling results between peak temperature and peak pressure agree well with the decay function, providing aids to the optimal layout design of industrial pipeline branches as well as to the explosion suppression measures.