The study of horizontal extension distances for inclined ethylene buoyant jet fires

• Published in: Case studies in thermal engineering 2023-05, Vol.45, p.103009, Article 103009
• Main Authors: Zhao, Jinfei, Liu, Jiahao, Ding, Chao, Wang, Xuehui, Wang, Jiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Buoyant flames; Ethylene jet fires; Flame extension distance; Flame width; Inclined nozzles
• ISSN: 2214-157X; 2214-157X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.csite.2023.103009

As one of the most important raw materials in petrochemical industry, ethylene is widely used in the production of polyethylene, vinyl chloride and so on. Experiments were conducted on inclined ethylene jet fires to study the flame horizontal extension distance. Two nozzles with inner diameters of 6 mm and 10 mm were chosen in current study. Four different upward inclined angles of 0°, 30°, 60°and 90°relative to the horizontal direction were employed. The horizontal extension distances of ethlene jet fires increase with increasing heat release rate. For a fixed heat release rate, the horizontal extension distance decreases when the inclined angles increase. Similarity analysis was accomplished, and the result demonstrates that the dimensionless horizontal extension distance (Lph/d) can be correlated to the flame Froude number (Frf). By fitting the experimental data, the relationship between the dimensionless horizontal extension distance and the modified flame Froude number Frf*(Frf* = cosθ3/4. Frf) was derived, and the correlation can well predict the data in current work as well as these from previous studies. For vertically oriented ethylene jet flame (θ=0°), the normalized flame width (W/d) was exponentially correlated to the flame Froude number by a power of 0.41.