Turbulence influence on explosion characteristics of stoichiometric and rich hydrogen/air mixtures in a spherical closed vessel

Highlights: • Explosion characteristics of hydrogen/air mixtures were studied. • Effects of initial turbulent intensity on explosion were studied. • Effects of equivalence ratio on turbulent explosion were studied. • Maximum pressure, explosion duration, fast explosion duration were analyzed. • Maximum rate of pressure rise, deflagration index, and heat loss were analyzed. - Abstract: Explosion always occur in turbulent ambience, but few researches focusing on the effects of turbulence on explosion characteristics has been performed in the current. In the present investigation, the effects of initial turbulence on the explosion characteristics of stoichiometric and rich hydrogen-air mixtures were experimentally studied and analyzed on the basis of explosion pressure traces. Maximum explosion pressure, explosion duration, maximum rate of pressure rise, fast explosion duration, deflagration index, and the averaged heat flux through the wall during explosion were systematically examined. The results indicated that, turbulence will reduced the corresponding equivalence ratio to maximum rate of pressure rise but won't change the corresponding equivalence ratios to maximum explosion pressure and two explosion durations. In turbulent ambience, two explosion durations will decline for the accelerated propagation of pressure wave, the values of maximum explosion pressure and maximum rate of pressure rise will be raised for the reduced heat flux through the vessel's wall during explosion. In addition, turbulence raises the value of deflagration index, namely it raises the hazardous level.