A preliminary study of combustion flame by digital image processing and residue for fireworks flash powder

Fireworks play a vital role in festive celebrations and entertainment. These fireworks industries are administered by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur, Government of India. Even though PESO prescribed the standard composition for various fireworks products, concerns persist regarding the potential deviation from these standards, particularly in the pursuit of increased noise levels to attract consumers. This change in the burning and reactive properties of chemicals could potentially lead to accidents and environmental pollution. The current work investigated the combustion characteristics of two unknown market flash powder samples and a PESO standard sample. The samples were openly ignited in a controlled atmosphere, and video recordings of the resulting chemical flames were analyzed to determine fire area, flame intensity, and motion magnitude. The residues were also collected for EDAX and SEM analysis. Fire pixels from video frames are segmented to create a comprehensive database detailing flame area and motion magnitude under different circumstances. From the flame area profile, motion magnitude and SEM/EDAX analysis, it is found that PESO standard sample combustion is better than the unknown flash powder combustion.