Virtual ignition of a methane leak by electric spark

National Institute for Research and Development in Mine Safety and Protection to Explosion, Petrosani City, G-ral. Vasile Milea Street 32-34, Hunedoara county, 332047, Romania

^* Corresponding author: nicolae.vlasin@insemex.ro

Abstract

In the virtual environment, respectively in a rectangular tube with a hole at one end, a computational simulation was performed comprising two stages: the first stage aims at simulating a methane gas leak through a hole in the floor of the tube and its diffusion in the air of which the inner volume of the virtual environment is constituted. At the full end of the tube is arranged an electric ignition source that activates in parallel with the gas source, being observed the formation of the explosive mixture in the proximity of the ignition source and the moment of initiation of the explosive atmosphere. The second stage of the simulation is marked by a higher level of velocities characteristic of the explosive process of the airmethane mixture, which involves the use of different settings. The host of the computer simulation is the Fluent application of the ANSYS platform. Post-processing is performed both on the ANSYS platform, through the Fluent and Results applications and through the facilities offered by the Tecplot 360 application.