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Safety. Determine conditions where fires and /or explosions can occur. Develop estimates for upper/lower flammability limits in mixtures Utilize inerting to prevent fires/explosions. Combustion/Fire/Explosion. Where Does Reaction Occur?.
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Safety • Determine conditions where fires and /or explosions can occur. • Develop estimates for upper/lower flammability limits in mixtures • Utilize inerting to prevent fires/explosions.
Where Does Reaction Occur? • In gas phase where ignition source, oxygen and fuel coexist. • Can be autocatalytic under certain conditions. • May not need ignition source if temperature is high enough.
Types of Reactions • Slow Oxidation • Energy can be absorbed by surroundings without increase in temperature. • Fire • Energy released can be dissipated by environment with an increase in temperature to a stable point. • Deflagration/Explosion • Energy released cannot be fully dissipated by environment and temperature continuously increases.
Definitions • Flash Point Temperature • Enough fuel exists in air to create a flammable mixture. Will “burn out”. • Fire Point Temperature • Enough fuel exists in air to create a sustainable flammable mixture. • Flammability Limits • Volume percent ranges of fuel in air where burning occurs.
LFL Lower Flammability Limit • Partial pressure of fuel is too low to keep reaction going • UFL Upper Flammability Limit • Partial pressure of oxygen is too low to keep reaction going
Sources for LFL/UFL • MSDS sheets where data was obtained experimentally. • Mixtures of Fuels • Can be calculated with known LFL/UFL of all components
20:80 Hexane/Heptane Liquid at 25 oC • Assume Liquid is in equilibrium with air in headspace • Calculate mole fraction of each component using Raoult’s Law or suitable model. • Calculate LFL/UFL of mixture
Flammability Diagrams • Flammability Diagrams • Compression and Ignition
40% Nitrogen 40% Fuel 20% Oxygen
Original Mixture 40% Nitrogen 40% Fuel 20% Oxygen Dilute with Air
Original Mixture 40% Nitrogen 40% Fuel 20% Oxygen Dilute with Air Air Added Original Fuel
Constructing Flammability Diagram Fuel + zO2 CO2 + H2O 1. Draw Air Line 2. Enter LFL & UFL • Determine z • LOC = zLFL(use data, if available) UFL LFL
Constructing Flammability Diagram Fuel + zO2 CO2 + H2O • Add StoichiometricLine • Get Pure Oxygen LFLand UFL (if available) LOC UFL LFL
Constructing Flammability Diagram Fuel + zO2 CO2 + H2O 7. Construct Curve LOC Flammable Region
Safety (MSDS) data for hexane Physical data Appearance: colourless liquid Melting point: -95 C Boiling point: 69 C Vapour density: 3 (air = 1) Vapour pressure: 132 mm Hg at 20 C Specific gravity: 0.659 Flash point: -10 F Explosion limits: 1.2% - 7.7% Autoignition temperature: 453 F