Flammability limits, limiting oxygen concentration and minimum inert gas/combustible ratio of H2/CO/N2/air mixtures

The flammability limits, the limiting oxygen concentration (LOC) and the inert gas/combustible ratio (ICR) of hydrogen/carbon monoxide/nitrogen/air mixtures are determined for hydrogen fuel molar fractions of 0.44, 0.62 and 0.71, at atmospheric pressure and initial temperatures up to 200 degrees C. The experiments are performed in a glass cylindrical tube with an internal diameter of 80 mm. The mixtures are ignited by a spark discharge between two electrodes placed at the bottom of the tube. Flame propagation is said to have occurred if the flame propagates a distance of at least 100 mm. The experimental procedure is based upon EN 1839 and EN 14756. Le Chatelier's law is used to estimate the flammability limits of the hydrogen/carbon monoxide mixtures, while the LOC and ICR are estimated based upon the lower flammability limit. The estimates are compared with the experimental data. (C) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.