- Author
-
Cashdollar, K. L.
|
Hertzberg, M.
|
Zlochower, I. A.
|
Lucci, C. E.
|
Green, G. M.
|
Thomas, R. A.
- Title
- Laboratory Flammability Studies of Mixtures of Hydrogen, Nitrous Oxide, and Air. Final Report.
- Coporate
- Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA
Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA
- Sponsor
- Department of Energy, Washington, DC
- Report
-
WHC-SC-WM-ES-219; DE93-005134,
June 26, 1992,
71 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
hydrogen
|
nitrous oxides
|
air
|
flammability
|
electric sparks
|
pyrothechnics
|
ignition source
- Abstract
- At the request of the Department of Energy and the Westinghouse Hanford Company, the Bureau of Mines has investigated the flammability of mixtures of hydrogen, nitrous oxide, and air. The tests were performed in a 120-L spherical chamber under both quiescent and turbulent conditions using both electric spark and pyrothechnic ignition sources. Reported data for binary mixtures of hydrogen in air generally confirm the data of previous investigators, but are more comprehensive than those reported previously. The results clarify to a greater extent the complications associated with buoyancy, turbulence, and selective diffusion. Reported data for ternary mixtures of hydrogen and nitrous oxide in air indicate that small additions of nitrous oxide (relative to the amount of air) have little effect, but that higher concentrations of nitrous oxide (relative to air) significantly increase the explosion hazard.