methanol

A numerical study was performed on the explosion characteristics of methanol-air mixtures; at four various initial temperatures and initial pressures. The explosion parameters of explosion pressure were calculated. The influences of initial conditions on the explosion characteristics were discussed. With the initial pressure elevated from 1.0 to 2.5 bar, the peak explosion pressure increases significantly. Post explosion species composition as a function of methanol mole fraction in the methanol-air post-explosion mixtures (15 vol. % of fuel) for P = 1.0 bar(a) and T = 298 K have been determined. These values will be used as approximate initial values for explosion experiments carried out in heated 1 m3 and 20 dm3 explosion apparatuses designed by OZM Research s.r.o. and used at Laboratory of safety fuels and technologies, Energy Research Centre, VŠB - Technical University of Ostrava.