Quenching methane-air ignitions with water sprays. Report of investigations
Laboratory-scale flammability experiments were conducted to investigate the possible use of water spray systems for inerting or quenching mine-gas ignitions, such as those encountered at the working face of a coal mine. The inerting results for premixed methane-air-water mixtures indicated that water droplets of less than 10 micrometer tended to be as effective as the vapor. Water requirements for inerting of such mixtures were much smaller than those necessary for quenching the sustained flame propagation by the application of water sprays. The minimum water mass concentration for quenching methane-air flames increased linearly with increasing droplet diameter (surface weighted mean) and decreased with increasing spray temperature, whereas the droplet surface area required per unit volume was essentially constant for a given gas mixture composition. The practical limitations of water quenching and inerting systems are discussed and data extrapolations indicated that a quenching system may be feasible for the long-wall mining application.
- Research Organization:
- Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, Pa. (USA). Pittsburgh Mining and Safety Research Center
- OSTI ID:
- 7284191
- Report Number(s):
- PB-266727; BM-RI-8214
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Coal mine ignitions of methane by friction show five-year rise
Burning characteristics of premixed sprays and gas-liquid coburning mixtures
Related Subjects
012000 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Mining
016000 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Health & Safety
090110* -- Hydrocarbon Fuels-- Properties-- (1979-1989)
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
AIR
ALKANES
COAL MINES
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
FLAMMABILITY
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IGNITION
METHANE
MINES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SAFETY
SPRAYS
WATER