Laboratory flammability studies of mixtures of hydrogen, nitrous oxide, and air

Technical Report · Fri Jun 26 00:00:00 EDT 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6928400· OSTI ID:6928400

Cashdollar, K L; Hertzberg, M; Zlochower, I A; Lucci, C E; Green, G M; Thomas, R A ^[1]

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1. Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Pittsburgh Research Center

At the request of the Department of Energy and the Westinghouse Hanford Company, the Bureau of Mines has investigated the flammability of mixtures of hydrogen, nitrous oxide, and air. This work is relevant to the possible hazards of flammable gas generation from nuclear waste tanks at Hanford, WA. The tests were performed in a 120-L spherical chamber under both quiescent and turbulent conditions using both electric spark and pyrotechnic ignition sources. The data reported here for binary mixtures of hydrogen in air generally confirm the data of previous investigators, but they are more comprehensive than those reported previously. The results clarify to a greater extent the complications associated with buoyancy, turbulence, and selective diffusion. The data reported here for ternary mixtures of hydrogen and nitrous oxide in air indicate that small additions of nitrous oxide (relative to the amount of air) have little effect, but that higher concentrations of nitrous oxide (relative to air) significantly increase the explosion hazard.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States); Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Pittsburgh Research Center
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AI06-91RL12253; AC06-87RL10930
• OSTI ID: 6928400
• Report Number(s): WHC-SD-WM-ES-219 Rev. 0; ON: DE93005134
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
HYDROGEN
FLAMMABILITY
NITROUS OXIDE
AIR
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
PLUTONIUM
PROGRESS REPORT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
SAFETY
SLURRIES
TANKS
TESTING
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
URANIUM
ACTINIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
CONTAINERS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
METALS
MIXTURES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
STORAGE
SUSPENSIONS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
400201 - Chemical & Physicochemical Properties