Hydrocarbon Aerosol Explosion Hazards

Potential explosion hazards arising from releases of natural gas are now reasonably well understood, but the hazards exhibited by two-phase liquid-vapour mixtures are often overlooked. A number of explosions believed to be two-phase in nature have occurred within the process industries, so emphasizing the need to investigate the underlying mechanisms which contribute to aerosol explosions. It has been predicted that an aerosol containing droplets within the so-called ‘transition‘ range, typically between 7−15 μm, may burn faster than an optimally mixed homogeneous vapour/air mixture. Other models predict that the burning velocity attained for a gaseous mixture is the maximum attainable. A few experimental publications discuss the generation and combustion of fuel aerosols, but have failed to examine the area of most interest. This paper reviews previous theoretical, experimental and computational approaches relating aerosol explosions, and presents a research strategy suitable for progression towards robust quantification of this category of explosion