Analysis of spontaneous ignition of hydrogen-enriched methane in a rectangular tube

Abstract

This study investigates the spontaneous ignition of high-pressure hydrogen-enriched methane in air within a rectangular tube. A computationally efficient approach has been adopted, utilizing a reduced reaction mechanism and ignition delay model within a 3D Large Eddy Simulation (LES) framework. This approach overcomes the limitations of traditional 1D and 2D simulations with detailed chemistry models, which are unable to accurately reproduce the complex 3D shock wave structures within the tube. The simulated shock wave behavior during 9 MPa hydrogen leakage (case 1) and 11 MPa 90 vol% hydrogen/10 vol% methane mixture leakage (case 2) are found to agree well with experimental observations. In case 2, the hot spots generated by reflected shock waves and Mach reflections ignite the hydrogen/methane-air mixture, resulting in three sequential spontaneous ignitions. The flame is observed to primarily propagate along the tube corners and wall centers, with the central ignition spreading across the entire cross-section. For the 25 MPa 24 vol% hydrogen/76 vol% methane mixture leakage (case 6), the shock intensity is significantly reduced due to the increased methane proportion, leading to spontaneous ignition only at the tube corners when the hemispherical shock wave reflects from the wall. The flame predominantly forms downstream along the tube corner, gradually spreading along the tube wall. It is indicated that while the probability of spontaneous ignition decreases with increasing methane content, the risk remains significant under sufficiently high pressures. To the best our knowledge, this study represents the first 3D large eddy simulation of spontaneous ignition for high-pressure hydrogen-enriched methane leakage into air, providing valuable insights into the underlying physical phenomena.